Sample records for repetitive pulse stimulation

The characteristics of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses influence the physiological effect of TMS. However, available TMS devices allow very limited adjustment of the pulse parameters. We describe a novel TMS device that uses a circuit topology incorporating two energy storage capacitors and two insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules to generate near-rectangular electric field pulses with adjustable number, polarity, duration, and amplitude of the pulse phases. This controllable pulse parameter TMS (cTMS) device can induce electric field pulses with phase widths of 10-310 µs and positive/negative phase amplitude ratio of 1-56. Compared to conventional monophasic and biphasic TMS, cTMS reduces energy dissipation up to 82% and 57% and decreases coil heating up to 33% and 41%, respectively. We demonstrate repetitive TMS trains of 3000 pulses at frequencies up to 50 Hz with electric field pulse amplitude and width variability less than the measurement resolution (1.7% and 1%, respectively). Offering flexible pulse parameter adjustment and reduced power consumption and coil heating, cTMS enhances existing TMS paradigms, enables novel research applications and could lead to clinical applications with potentially enhanced potency.

Full Text Available Background: Joint contracture is a limitation in the passive or active range of motion (ROM of a joint, where in addition to the mobility limiting factor the pain is also present. Repetitivepulsed Magnetic Stimulation (rPMS appears to be an effective, non-invasive and safety solution for treating this condition. Therefore aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of rPMS in treating joint contracture. Methods: 30 subjects with joint contracture in the knee were enrolled in this study and divided respectively into Treatment and Control group. The treatment group were delivered with rPMS therapy. The control group was delivered with conventional physiotherapy method (ultrasound. The primary outcome measurements were: 1. Mobility evaluation by goniometry (ROM in degrees while performing flexion and Patient Functional Assessment Questionnaire (PFAQ for ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADL and 2. Pain evaluation by 10-point Visual Analog Scale (VAS for pain perception. Absence of adverse events was set as a secondary measure. Results: The results of the study show statistical difference (p<0.05 between the levels of improvement of all studied parameters while comparing between both groups. The results suggest greater immobility restoration and pain relieving effect of the rPMS in comparison to conventional physiotherapy method. Conclusion: rPMS an effective and safe non-invasive method for mobility restoration and pain relief in case of joint contractures. This study suggests the method as beneficial and quality of life ameliorating among patients suffering from immobilized joints accompanied by pain.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the stimulus frequency and pulses number of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the inter-reversal time (IRT) of perceptual reversal on the right superior parietal lobule (SPL). The spinning wheel illusion was used as the ambiguous figures stimulation in this study. To investigate the rTMS effect over the right SPL during perceptual reversal, 0.25 Hz 60 pulse, 1 Hz 60 pulse, 0.5 Hz 120 pulse, 1 Hz 120 pulse, and 1 Hz 240 pulse biphasic rTMS at 90% of resting motor threshold was applied over the right SPL and the right posterior temporal lobe (PTL), respectively. As a control, a no TMS was also conducted. It was found that rTMS on 0.25 Hz 60 pulse and 1 Hz 60 pulse applied over the right SPL caused shorter IRT. In contrast, it was found that rTMS on 1 Hz 240-pulse applied over the right SPL caused longer IRT. On the other hand, there is no significant difference between IRTs when the rTMS on 0.5 Hz 120 pulse and 1 Hz 120 pulse were applied over the right SPL. Therefore, the applying of rTMS over the right SPL suggests that the IRT of perceptual reversal is effected by the rTMS conditions such as the stimulus frequency and the number of pulses.

The breakdown behavior of electronics exposed to single transient electromagnetic pulses is subject of investigations for several years. State-of-the-art pulse generators additionally provide the possibility to generate pulse sequences with variable pulserepetition rate. In this article the influence of this repetition rate variation on the breakdown behavior of electronic systems is described. For this purpose microcontroller systems are examined during line-led exposure to pulses with repe...

The properties of water surface discharge plasma for variety of pulserepetition rates are investigated. A magnetic pulse compression (MPC) pulsed power modulator able to deliver pulserepetition rates up to 1000 Hz, with 0.5 J per pulse energy output at 25 kV, was used as the pulsed power source. Positive pulse with a point-to-plane electrode configuration was used for the experiments. The concentration and production yield of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were quantitatively measured and orange II organic dye was treated, to evaluate the chemical properties of the discharge reactor. Experimental results show that the physical and chemical properties of water surface discharge are not influenced by pulserepetition rate, very different from those observed for under water discharge. The production yield of H₂O₂ and degradation rate per pulse of the dye did not significantly vary at different pulserepetition rates under a constant discharge mode on water surface. In addition, the solution temperature, pH, and conductivity for both water surface and underwater discharge reactors were measured to compare their plasma properties for different pulserepetition rates. The results confirm that surface discharge can be employed at high pulserepetition rates as a reliable and advantageous method for industrial and environmental decontamination applications.

Proper stimulation to affected cerebral hemisphere would promote the functional recovery of patients with stroke. Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on cortical excitability can be can be altered by the stimulation frequency, intensity and duration. There has been no consistent recognition regarding the best stimulation frequency and intensity. This study reviews the intervention effects of repetitive transcranial stimulation on motor impairment, dysphagia, visuospatial neglect and aphasia, and summarizes the stimulation frequency, intensity and area for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to yield the best therapeutic effects. PMID:25745455

Proper stimulation to affected cerebral hemisphere would promote the functional recovery of patients with stroke. Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on cortical excitability can be can be altered by the stimulation frequency, intensity and duration. There has been no consistent recognition regarding the best stimulation frequency and intensity. This study reviews the intervention effects of repetitive transcranial stimulation on motor impairment, dysphagia, visuospatial neglect and aphasia, and summarizes the stimulation frequency, intensity and area for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to yield the best therapeutic effects.

Objective. Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), the brain responses to repetitive visual stimulation (RVS), are widely utilized in neuroscience. Their high signal-to-noise ratio and ability to entrain oscillatory brain activity are beneficial for their applications in brain-computer interfaces, investigation of neural processes underlying brain rhythmic activity (steady-state topography) and probing the causal role of brain rhythms in cognition and emotion. This paper aims at analyzing the space and time EEG dynamics in response to RVS at the frequency of stimulation and ongoing rhythms in the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands. Approach.We used electroencephalography (EEG) to study the oscillatory brain dynamics during RVS at 10 frequencies in the gamma band (40-60 Hz). We collected an extensive EEG data set from 32 participants and analyzed the RVS evoked and induced responses in the time-frequency domain. Main results. Stable SSVEP over parieto-occipital sites was observed at each of the fundamental frequencies and their harmonics and sub-harmonics. Both the strength and the spatial propagation of the SSVEP response seem sensitive to stimulus frequency. The SSVEP was more localized around the parieto-occipital sites for higher frequencies (>54 Hz) and spread to fronto-central locations for lower frequencies. We observed a strong negative correlation between stimulation frequency and relative power change at that frequency, the first harmonic and the sub-harmonic components over occipital sites. Interestingly, over parietal sites for sub-harmonics a positive correlation of relative power change and stimulation frequency was found. A number of distinct patterns in delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (15-30 Hz) bands were also observed. The transient response, from 0 to about 300 ms after stimulation onset, was accompanied by increase in delta and theta power over fronto-central and occipital sites, which returned to baseline

Background Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown promise in the alleviation of acute and chronic pain by altering the activity of cortical areas involved in pain sensation. However, current single-coil rTMS technology only allows for effects in surface cortical structures. The ability to affect activity in certain deep brain structures may however, allow for a better efficacy, safety, and tolerability. This study used PET imaging to determine whether a novel multi-coil rTMS would allow for preferential targeting of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), an area always activated with pain, and to provide preliminary evidence as to whether this targeted approach would allow for efficacious, safe, and tolerable analgesia both in a volunteer/acute pain model as well as in fibromyalgia chronic pain patients. Methods Part 1: Different coil configurations were tested in a placebo-controlled crossover design in volunteers (N = 16). Tonic pain was induced using a capsaicin/thermal pain model and functional brain imaging was performed by means of H215O positron emission tomography – computed tomography (PET/CT) scans. Differences in NRS pain ratings between TMS and sham treatment (NRSTMS-NRSplacebo) which were recorded each minute during the 10 minute PET scans. Part 2: 16 fibromyalgia patients were subjected to 20 multi-coil rTMS treatments over 4 weeks and effects on standard pain scales (Brief Pain Inventory, item 5, i.e. average pain NRS over the last 24 hours) were recorded. Results A single 30 minute session using one of 3 tested rTMS coil configurations operated at 1 Hz consistently produced robust reduction (mean 70% on NRS scale) in evoked pain in volunteers. In fibromyalgia patients, the 20 rTMS sessions also produced a significant pain inhibition (43% reduction in NRS pain over last 24 hours), but only when operated at 10 Hz. This degree of pain control was maintained for at least 4 weeks after the final session

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that is now being tested for its ability to treat addiction. This review discusses current research approaches and results of studies which measured the therapeutic use of rTMS to treat tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug addiction. The research in this area is limited and therefore all studies evaluating the therapeutic use of rTMS in tobacco, alcohol or illicit drug addiction were retained including case studies through NCBI PubMed ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ) and manual searches. A total of eight studies were identified that examined the ability of rTMS to treat tobacco, alcohol and cocaine addiction. The results of this review indicate that rTMS is effective in reducing the level of cravings for smoking, alcohol, and cocaine when applied at high frequencies to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Furthermore, these studies suggest that repeated sessions of high frequency rTMS over the DLPFC may be most effective in reducing the level of smoking and alcohol consumption. Although work in this area is limited, this review indicates that rTMS is a promising modality for treating drug addiction.

Full Text Available Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS is a non-invasive and relatively painless tool that has been used to study various cognitive functions as well as to understand the brain-behavior relationship in normal individuals as well as in those with various neuropsychiatric disorders. It has also been used as a therapeutic tool in various neuropsychiatric disorders because of its ability to specifically modulate distinct brain areas. Studies have shown that repeated stimulation at low frequency produces long-lasting inhibition, which is called as long-term depression, whereas repeated high-frequency stimulation can produce excitation through long-term potentiation. This paper reviews the current status of rTMS as an investigative and therapeutic modality in various neuropsychiatric disorders. It has been used to study the cortical and subcortical functions, neural plasticity and brain mapping in normal individuals and in various neuropsychiatric disorders. rTMS has been most promising in the treatment of depression, with an overall milder adverse effect profile compared with electroconvulsive therapy. In other neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, mania, epilepsy and substance abuse, it has been found to be useful, although further studies are required to establish therapeutic efficacy. It appears to be ineffective in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. There is a paucity of studies of efficacy and safety of rTMS in pediatric and geriatric population. Although it appears safe, further research is required to optimize its efficacy and reduce the side-effects. Magnetic seizure therapy, which involves producing seizures akin to electroconvulsive therapy, appears to be of comparable efficacy in the treatment of depression with less cognitive adverse effects.

Human movement sense relies on both somatosensory feedback and on knowledge of the motor commands used to produce the movement. We have induced a movement illusion using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over primary motor cortex and dorsal premotor cortex in the absence of limb moveme...... premotor cortex stimulation was less affected by sensory and motor deprivation than was primary motor cortex stimulation. We propose that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over dorsal premotor cortex produces a corollary discharge that is perceived as movement....

Various novel stroke rehabilitative methods have been developed based on findings in basic science and clinical research. Recently, many reports have shown that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improves function in stroke patients by altering the excitability of the human cortex. The interhemispheric competition model proposes that deficits in stroke patients are due to reduced output from the affected hemisphere and excessive interhemispheric inhibition from the unaffected hemisphere to the affected hemisphere. The interhemispheric competition model indicates that improvement in deficits can be achieved either by increasing the excitability of the affected hemisphere using excitatory rTMS or by decreasing the excitability of the unaffected hemisphere using inhibitory rTMS. Recovery after stroke is related to neural plasticity, which involves developing new neural connections, acquiring new functions, and compensating for impairments. Artificially modulating the neural network by rTMS may induce a more suitable environment for use-dependent plasticity and also may interfere with maladaptive neural activation, which weakens function and limits recovery. There is potential, therefore, for rTMS to be used as an adjuvant therapy for developed neurorehabilitation techniques in stroke patients.

Full Text Available Objective: This case series was conducted to determine the clinical feasibility of a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol for the prevention of migraine (with and without aura. Methods: Five patients with migraines underwent five repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation sessions separated in 1- to 2-week intervals for a period of 2 months at a single tertiary medical center. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied to the left motor cortex with 2000 pulses (20 trains with 1s inter-train interval delivered per session, at a frequency of 10 Hz and 80% resting motor threshold. Pre- and post-treatment numerical rating pain scales were collected, and percent reductions in intensity, frequency, and duration were generated. Results: An average decrease in 37.8%, 32.1%, and 31.2% were noted in the intensity, frequency, and duration of migraines post-repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, respectively. A mean decrease in 1.9±1.0 (numerical rating pain scale ± standard deviation; range: 0.4–2.8 in headache intensity scores was noted after the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation sessions. Conclusion: The tested repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol is a well-tolerated, safe, and effective method for migraine prevention.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive approach to briefly stimulate or inhibit cortical brain areas. A novel approach entails the delivery of repetitive TMS pulses (rTMS) at a fixed frequency. In rTMS cortical activity is altered beyond the period of actual stimulation. The changes occur locally as well as at a distance in functionally connected brain areas. These features render rTMS a suitable tool to study normal brain functions and the pathophysiology of brain diseases. Furthermore, it is expected that rTMS could be used as a novel therapy for neurological or psychiatric diseases characterised by abnormal cortical activation. This possibility has been studied mostly in patients suffering from depression, where rTMS has been used to restore normal activity in the hypoactive prefrontal cortex. Despite statistically significant therapeutic effects in small sized trials, the clinical implications are still limited.

Full Text Available Our previous research demonstrated that repetitive tone stimulation shortened the perceived duration of the preceding auditory time interval. In this study, we examined whether repetitive visual stimulation influences the perception of preceding visual time intervals. Results showed that a time interval followed by a high-frequency visual flicker was perceived as shorter than that followed by a low-frequency visual flicker. The perceived duration decreased as the frequency of the visual flicker increased. The visual flicker presented in one hemifield shortened the apparent time interval in the other hemifield. A final experiment showed that repetitive tone stimulation also shortened the perceived duration of preceding visual time intervals. We concluded that visual flicker shortened the perceived duration of preceding visual time intervals in the same way as repetitive auditory stimulation shortened the subjective duration of preceding tones.

and the FE phase by applying a’ Y pulsed electric field , Fig. 1. Sawyer-Tower circuit for displaying (4) partial reversal of P. inside the P-E...at temper- a pulsed electric field to switch the material atures up to the Curie temperature. Tests on into the PE or APE phase. With this combina- a

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) research in psychiatry mostly excludes left-handed participants. We recruited left-handed people with a bulimic disorder and found that stimulation of the left prefrontal cortex may result in different effects in left- and right-handed people. This highlights the importance of handedness and cortex lateralisation for rTMS.

The electromagnetic pulses of rare long (order of seconds) repetitive lightning discharges near strike point (order of 100m) are analyzed and compared to magnetic fields applied in standard clinical transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) practice. It is shown that the time-varying lightning magnetic fields and locally induced potentials are in the same order of magnitude and frequency as those established in TMS experiments to study stimulated perception phenomena, like magnetophosphenes. Lightning electromagnetic pulse induced transcranial magnetic stimulation of phosphenes in the visual cortex is concluded to be a plausible interpretation of a large class of reports on luminous perceptions during thunderstorms.

The electromagnetic pulses of rare long (order of seconds) repetitive lightning discharges near strike point (order of 100 m) are analyzed and compared to magnetic fields applied in standard clinical transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) practice. It is shown that the time-varying lightning magnetic fields and locally induced electric fields are in the same order of magnitude and frequency as those established in TMS experiments to study stimulated perception phenomena, like magnetophosphenes. Lightning electromagnetic pulse induced transcranial magnetic stimulation of phosphenes in the visual cortex is concluded to be a plausible interpretation of a large class of reports on luminous perceptions during thunderstorms.

Full Text Available Human movement sense relies on both somatosensory feedback and on knowledge of the motor commands used to produce the movement. We have induced a movement illusion using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over primary motor cortex and dorsal premotor cortex in the absence of limb movement and its associated somatosensory feedback. Afferent and efferent neural signalling was abolished in the arm with ischemic nerve block, and in the leg with spinal nerve block. Movement sensation was assessed following trains of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation applied over primary motor cortex, dorsal premotor cortex, and a control area (posterior parietal cortex. Magnetic stimulation over primary motor cortex and dorsal premotor cortex produced a movement sensation that was significantly greater than stimulation over the control region. Movement sensation after dorsal premotor cortex stimulation was less affected by sensory and motor deprivation than was primary motor cortex stimulation. We propose that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over dorsal premotor cortex produces a corollary discharge that is perceived as movement.

The potential of noninvasive neurostimulation by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for improving psychiatric disorders has been studied increasingly over the past two decades. This is especially the case for major depression and for auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia.

The paper is concerned with laser target interaction processes involving new methods of improving the overall energy balance. As expected theoretically, this can be achieved with high repetition rate pulsed lasers even for initially highly reflecting materials, such as metals. Experiments were performed by using a pulsed CO2 laser at mean powers up to 2 kW and repetition rates up to 100 Hz. The rates of temperature rise of aluminium for example were thereby increased by lore than a factor of 3 as compared to cw-radiation of comparable power density. Similar improvements were found for the overall absorptivities that were increased by this method by more than an order of magnitude.

The paper describes Marx topology using MOSFET transistors. Marx circuit with 10 stages has been done, to obtain pulses about 5.5KV amplitude, and the width of the pulses was about 30μsec with a high repetition rate (PPS > 100), Vdc = 535VDC is the input voltage for supplying the Marx circuit. Two Ferrite ring core transformers were used to control the MOSFET transistors of the Marx circuit (the first transformer to control the charging MOSFET transistors, the second transformer to control the discharging MOSFET transistors).

The characteristics of a Fe:ZnSe laser pumped by a single-pulse free-running Er : YAG laser and a repetitivelypulsed HF laser are presented. An output energy of 4.9 J is achieved in the case of liquid-nitrogen cooling of the Fe{sup 2+}:ZnSe active laser element longitudinally pumped by an Er:YAG laser with a pulse duration of 1 ms and an energy up to 15 J. The laser efficiency with respect to the absorbed energy is 47%. The output pulse energy at room temperature is 53 mJ. The decrease in the output energy is explained by a strong temperature dependence of the upper laser level lifetime and by pulsed heating of the active element. The temperature dependence of the upper laser level lifetime is used to determine the pump parameters needed to achieve high pulse energies at room temperature. Stable repetitively-pulsed operation of the Fe{sup 2+}:ZnSe laser at room temperature with an average power of 2.4 W and a maximum pulse energy of 14 mJ is achieved upon pumping by a 1-s train of 100-ns HF laser pulses with a repetition rate of 200 Hz. (lasers)

The characteristics of a Fe:ZnSe laser pumped by a single-pulse free-running Er : YAG laser and a repetitivelypulsed HF laser are presented. An output energy of 4.9 J is achieved in the case of liquid-nitrogen cooling of the Fe2+:ZnSe active laser element longitudinally pumped by an Er:YAG laser with a pulse duration of 1 ms and an energy up to 15 J. The laser efficiency with respect to the absorbed energy is 47%. The output pulse energy at room temperature is 53 mJ. The decrease in the output energy is explained by a strong temperature dependence of the upper laser level lifetime and by pulsed heating of the active element. The temperature dependence of the upper laser level lifetime is used to determine the pump parameters needed to achieve high pulse energies at room temperature. Stable repetitively-pulsed operation of the Fe2+:ZnSe laser at room temperature with an average power of 2.4 W and a maximum pulse energy of 14 mJ is achieved upon pumping by a 1-s train of 100-ns HF laser pulses with a repetition rate of 200 Hz.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can be used to study metaplasticity in human motor cortex. The term metaplasticity describes a phenomenon where the prior synaptic history of a pathway can affect the subsequent induction of long-term potentiation or depression. In the current study, we investigated metaplasticity in human motor cortex with the use of inhibitory continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS). cTBS involves short bursts of high frequency (50 Hz) rTMS applied every 200 ms for 40 s. In the first series of experiments, cTBS was primed with 10 min of intermittent 2 or 6 Hz rTMS. Subjects (n = 20) received priming stimulation at 70% of active motor threshold or 90% of resting motor threshold. In another series of experiments, cTBS was primed with excitatory intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS). iTBS involves a 2 s train of theta-burst stimulation delivered every 10 s for 190 s. Stimuli were delivered over the first dorsal interosseus motor area.. The effect of cTBS alone and primed cTBS on motor cortical excitability was investigated by recording motor-evoked potentials (MEP) in the first dorsal interosseus following single-pulse TMS. MEP area in the cTBS alone condition was not significantly different from cTBS primed with 2 or 6 Hz rTMS. However, priming cTBS with iTBS suppressed MEP area to a greater extent than in cTBS alone. Our results provide further evidence of metaplasticity in human motor cortex when appropriate priming protocols are employed.

Full Text Available Treatment and diagnosis can be made in difficult areas simply by changing the output pulse form of the magnetic stimulation device. However, there is a limitation in the range of treatments and diagnoses of a conventional sinusoidal stimulation treatment pulse because the intensity, width, and form of the pulse must be changed according to the lesion type. This paper reports a multidischarge method, where the stimulation coils were driven in sequence via multiple switching control. The limitation of the existing simple sinusoidal pulse form could be overcome by changing the intensity, width, and form of the pulse. In this study, a new sequential discharge method was proposed to freely alter the pulse width. The output characteristics of the stimulation treatment pulse were examined according to the trigger signal delay applied to the switch at each stage by applying a range of superposition pulses to the magnetic simulation device, which is widely used in industry and medicine.

Human movement sense relies on both somatosensory feedback and on knowledge of the motor commands used to produce the movement. We have induced a movement illusion using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over primary motor cortex and dorsal premotor cortex in the absence of limb movement and its associated somatosensory feedback. Afferent and efferent neural signalling was abolished in the arm with ischemic nerve block, and in the leg with spinal nerve block. Movement sensation was...

Brief-pulsestimulation at 50 Hz has been shown to terminate afterdischarges observed in epilepsy patients. However, the optimal pulsestimulation parameters for terminating cortical electrical stimulation-induced afterdischarges remain unclear. In the present study, we examined the effects of different brief-pulsestimulation frequencies (5, 50 and 100 Hz) on cortical electrical stimulation-induced afterdischarges in 10 patients with refractory epilepsy. Results demonstrated that brief-pulsestimulation could terminate cortical electrical stimulation-induced afterdischarges in refractory epilepsy patients. In conclusion, (1) a brief-pulsestimulation was more effective when the afterdischarge did not extend to the surrounding brain area. (2) A higher brief-pulsestimulation frequency (especially 100 Hz) was more likely to terminate an afterdischarge. (3) A low current intensity of brief-pulsestimulation was more likely to terminate an afterdischarge.

This work reports on an investigation of a repetitively-pulsed nanosecond discharge (RPND) in helium over a range of 0.3-16.0 Torr. The discharge was studied experimentally via laser-absorption spectroscopy and opticals emission spectroscopy measurements. In concert with the experimental campaign, a global model of a helium plasma was developed with the aid of particle-in-cell simulations. The global model was then used to predict the population kinetics and emissions of the RPND. Synthesis of the results provided new data and insights on the development of the RPND. Among the results were direct measurements of the triplet metastable states during the excitation period. This period was found to be unexpectedly long at low pressures (less than or equal to 1.0 Torr), suggesting an excess in high-energy electrons as compared to an equilibrium distribution. Other phenomena such as a prominent return stroke and additional energy deposition by reflections in the transmission line were also identified. Estimates of the electric field and electron temperatures were obtained for several conditions. Furthermore, several optical methods for electron temperature measurement were evaluated for application to the discharge. Based on the global model simulations, the coronal model was found to apply to the line ratio of the 33S-23Po and 31S-2 1Po transitions, however further work is needed to ascertain its applicability to experimental discharges. These results provide new insight on the development of the repetitively-pulsed nanosecond discharge. Specifically, they reveal new information about the excited state dynamics within the discharge, the non-equilibrium nature of its electrons, and several avenues for future studies. This study extends the present understanding of repetitively-pulsed discharges, and advances the knowledge of energy coupling between electric fields and plasmas.

and is inde pendent of the pulserepetition frequency (PRF). When the injury mechanism is thermal denaturation, the pulses do interact , with the peak...energy incident on the cornea that passes through the pupil of the eye. TIE is expressed in this paper as the energy per pulse in the pulse train. 3...given in the guidelines as the corneal irradiance (J∕cm2), was multi plied by the area of a 7 mm pupil to give the allowable TIE. CP is a multiplicative

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS at certain frequencies increases thresholds for motor-evoked potentials and phosphenes following stimulation of cortex. Consequently rTMS is often assumed to introduce a "virtual lesion" in stimulated brain regions, with correspondingly diminished behavioral performance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we investigated the effects of rTMS to visual cortex on subjects' ability to perform visual psychophysical tasks. Contrary to expectations of a visual deficit, we find that rTMS often improves the discrimination of visual features. For coarse orientation tasks, discrimination of a static stimulus improved consistently following theta-burst stimulation of the occipital lobe. Using a reaction-time task, we found that these improvements occurred throughout the visual field and lasted beyond one hour post-rTMS. Low-frequency (1 Hz stimulation yielded similar improvements. In contrast, we did not find consistent effects of rTMS on performance in a fine orientation discrimination task. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Overall our results suggest that rTMS generally improves or has no effect on visual acuity, with the nature of the effect depending on the type of stimulation and the task. We interpret our results in the context of an ideal-observer model of visual perception.

We introduce and experimentally validate a pulse picking technique based on a travelling-wave-type acousto-optic modulator (AOM) having the AOM carrier frequency synchronized to the repetition rate of the original pulse train. As a consequence, the phase noise characteristic of the original pulse train is largely preserved, rendering this technique suitable for applications requiring carrier-envelope phase stabilization. In a proof-of-principle experiment, the 1030-nm spectral part of an 74-MHz, carrier-envelope phase stable Ti:sapphire oscillator is amplified and reduced in pulserepetition frequency by a factor of two, maintaining an unprecedentedly low carrier-envelope phase noise spectral density of below 68 mrad. Furthermore, a comparative analysis reveals that the pulse-picking-induced additional amplitude noise is minimized, when the AOM is operated under synchronicity. The proposed scheme is particularly suitable when the down-picked repetition rate is still in the multi-MHz-range, where Pockels cells cannot be applied due to piezoelectric ringing.

A very simple design of cathodic filtered vacuum arc plasma source is proposed. The source without filter has only four components and none of them require precise machining. The source operates in a repetitivelypulsed regime, and for laboratory experiments it can be used without water cooling. Despite the simple construction, the source provides high ion current at the filter outlet reaching 2.5% of 400 A arc current, revealing stable operation in a wide pressure range from high vacuum to oxygen pressure up to more than 10-2 mbar. There is no need in complicated power supply system for this plasma source, only one power supply can be used to ignite the arc, to provide the current for the arc itself, to generate the magnetic field in the filter, and provide its positive electric biasing without any additional high power resistance.

Atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) sustained in packed bed reactors (PBRs) are being investigated for conversion of toxic and waste gases, and CO2 removal. These discharges are repetitivelypulsed having varying flow rates and internal geometries, which results in species from the prior pulse still being in the discharge zone at the time the following discharge pulse occurs. A non-negligible residual plasma density remains, which effectively acts as preionization. This residual charge changes the discharge properties of subsequent pulses, and may impact important PBR properties such as chemical selectivity. Similarly, the residual neutral reactive species produced during earlier pulses will impact the reaction rates on subsequent pulses. We report on results of a computational investigation of a 2D PBR using the plasma hydrodynamics simulator nonPDPSIM. Results will be discussed for air flowing though an array of dielectric rods at atmospheric pressure. The effects of inter-pulse residual species on PBR discharges will be quantified. Means of controlling the presence of residual species in the reactor through gas flow rate, pulserepetition, pulse width and geometry will be described. Comparisons will be made to experiments. Work supported by US DOE Office of Fusion Energy Science and the National Science Foundation.

In multifunction phased array radar systems, different activities (e.g., tracking, searching, imaging, feature extraction, recognition, etc.) would need to be performed simultaneously. To relieve the conflict of the radar resource distribution, a micromotion feature extraction method using tracking pulses with adaptive pulserepetition frequencies (PRFs) is proposed in this paper. In this method, the idea of a varying PRF is utilized to solve the frequency-domain aliasing problem of the micro-Doppler signal. With appropriate atom set construction, the micromotion feature can be extracted and the image of the target can be obtained based on the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit algorithm. In our algorithm, the micromotion feature of a radar target is extracted from the tracking pulses and the quality of the constructed image is fed back into the radar system to adaptively adjust the PRF of the tracking pulses. Finally, simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Isoflurane and propofol reduce the recordability of compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) following single transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex (sTCMS). Repetition of the magnetic stimulus (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, rTCMS) might allow the inhibition caused by anaesthesia with isoflurane or propofol to be overcome. We applied rTCMS (four stimuli; inter-stimulus intervals of 3, 4, 5 ms (333, 250, 200 Hz), output 2.5 Tesla) in 27 patients and recorded CMAP from the hypothenar and anterior tibial muscle. Anaesthesia was maintained with fentanyl 0.5-1 microg kg(-1) x h(-1) and either isoflurane 1.2% (10 patients) or propofol 5 mg kg(-1) x h(-1) with nitrous oxide 60% in oxygen (17 patients). No CMAP were detected during isoflurane anaesthesia. During propofol anaesthesia 333 Hz, four-pulse magnetic stimulation evoked CMAP in the hypothenar muscle in 75%, and in the anterior tibial muscle in 65% of the patients. Less response was obtained with 250 and 200 Hz stimulation. In most patients, rTCMS can overcome suppression of CMAP during propofol/nitrous oxide anaesthesia, but not during isoflurane anaesthesia. A train of four magnetic stimuli at a frequency of 333 Hz is most effective in evoking potentials from the upper and lower limb muscles. The authors conclude that rTCMS can be used for evaluation of the descending motor pathways during anaesthesia.

The potential of noninvasive neurostimulation by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for improving psychiatric disorders has been studied increasingly over the past two decades. This is especially the case for major depression and for auditory-verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia. The present review briefly describes the background of this novel treatment modality and summarizes evidence from clinical trials into the efficacy of rTMS for depression and hallucinations. Evidence for efficacy in depression is stronger than for hallucinations, although a number of studies have reported clinically relevant improvements for hallucinations too. Different stimulation parameters (frequency, duration, location of stimulation) are discussed. There is a paucity of research into other psychiatric disorders, but initial evidence suggests that rTMS may also hold promise for the treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. It can be concluded that rTMS induces alterations in neural networks relevant for psychiatric disorders and that more research is needed to elucidate efficacy and underlying mechanisms of action.

Considering the limited effectiveness of drugs treatments in cognitive disorders, the emergence of noninvasive techniques to modify brain function is very interesting. Among these techniques, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can modulate cortical excitability and have potential therapeutic effects on cognition and behaviour. These effects are due to physiological modifications in the stimulated cortical tissue and their associated circuits, which depend on the parameters of stimulation. The objective of this article is to specify current knowledge and efficacy of rTMS in cognitive disorders. Previous studies found very encouraging results with significant improvement of higher brain functions. Nevertheless, these few studies have limits: a few patients were enrolled, the lack of control of the mechanisms of action by brain imaging, insufficiently formalized technique and variability of cognitive tests. It is therefore necessary to perform more studies, which identify statistical significant improvement and to specify underlying mechanisms of action and the parameters of use of the rTMS to offer rTMS as a routine therapy for cognitive dysfunction.

A pulsed pumped Yb-doped double-clad fiber (DCF) master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) at low repetition rate is reported. Seeded by a passive Q-switched Nd:YAG microchip laser, the fiber amplifier can generate 167-kW peak-power and 0.83-ns duration pulses at 200-Hz repetition rate. Because of the pulsed pump approach, the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and the spurious lasing between pulses are well avoided, and the repetition rate can be set freely from single-shot to 1 kHz. Peak power scaling limitations that arise from the fiber facet damage are discussed.

@@ An actively mode-locked laser with tunable repetition rate is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on a programmable electrical pattern generator.By changing the repetition rate of the electrical patterns applied on the in-cavity modulator, the repetition rate of the output optical pulse sequences changes accordingly while the pulse width of the optical pulse train remains almost constant.In other words, the output ultra-short pulse train has a tunable duty cycle.In a proof-of-principle experiment, optical pulses with repetition rates of 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 GHz are obtained by adjusting the electrical pattern applied on the in-cavity modulator while their pulse widths remain almost unchanged.

A neodymium-glass diode-pumped amplifier with a zigzag laser beam propagation through the active medium was elaborated; the amplifier is intended for operation in a repetitivelypulsed laser. An amplifier unit with an aperture of 20 Multiplication-Sign 25 mm and a {approx}40-cm long active medium was put to a test. The energy of pump radiation amounts to 140 J at a wavelength of 806 nm for a pump duration of 550 {mu}s. The energy parameters of the amplifier were experimentally determined: the small-signal gain per pass {approx}3.2, the linear gain {approx}0.031 cm{sup -1} with a nonuniformity of its distribution over the aperture within 15%, the stored energy of 0.16 - 0.21 J cm{sup -3}. The wavefront distortions in the zigzag laser-beam propagation through the active element of the amplifier did not exceed 0.4{lambda} ({lambda} = 0.63 {mu}m is the probing radiation wavelength).

We demonstrate the acquisition of stimulated Raman scattering spectra with the use of a single femtosecond pulse. High resolution vibrational spectra are obtained by shifting the phase of a narrow band of frequencies in the broadband input pulse spectrum, using spectral shaping. The vibrational spectrum is resolved by examining the amplitude features formed in the spectrum after interaction with the sample. Using this technique, low frequency Raman lines (<100cm^-1) are resolved in a straightforward manner.

Real-time energy measurement using pulse integration method for high repetition rate ultrashort laser pulses based on FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) and high-speed pipeline ADC (Analog-to-Digital Convertor) is introduced in this paper. There are two parts contained in this method: pulse integration and real-time data processing. The pulse integration circuit will convert the pulse to the step type signals which are linear to the laser pulse energy. Through the real-time data processing part, the amplitude of the step signals will be obtained by ADC sampling and conducting calculation in real time in FPGA. The test result shows that the method with good linearity (4.770%) and without pulse measurement missing is suitable for ultrashort laser pulses with high repetition rate up to 100 MHz.

Real-time energy measurement using pulse integration method for high repetition rate ultrashort laser pulses based on FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) and high-speed pipeline ADC (Analog-to-Digital Convertor) is introduced in this paper. There are two parts contained in this method: pulse integration and real-time data processing. The pulse integration circuit will convert the pulse to the step type signals which are linear to the laser pulse energy. Through the real-time data processing part, the amplitude of the step signals will be obtained by ADC sampling and conducting calculation in real time in FPGA. The test result shows that the method with good linearity (4.770%) and without pulse measurement missing is suitable for ultrashort laser pulses with high repetition rate up to 100 MHz.

In recent years, efforts have focused on investigating the neurophysiological changes that occur in the brain after stroke, and on developing novel strategies such as additional brain stimulation to enhance sensorimotor and cognitive recovery. In the 1990s, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was introduced as a therapeutic tool for improving the efficacy of rehabilitation for recovery after stroke. It is evident that disturbances of interhemispheric processes after stroke result in a pathological hyperactivity of the intact hemisphere. The rationale of using rTMS as a complementary therapy is mainly to decrease the cortical excitability in regions that are presumed to hinder optimal recovery by low-frequency rTMS delivered to the unaffected hemisphere, while high-frequency rTMS delivered to the affected hemisphere facilitates cortical excitability. However, the exact mechanisms of how rTMS works are still under investigation. There is a growing body of research in stroke patients investigating the effect of rTMS on facilitating recovery by modifying cortical and subcortical networks. Clinical trials applying rTMS already yielded promising results in improving recovery of sensorimotor and cognitive functions. Altogether, in combination with conventional therapeutic approaches, rTMS has a potential to become a complementary strategy to enhance stroke recovery by modulating the excitability of targeted brain areas. In future studies, emphasis should be placed on selecting patient populations to determine whether treatment response depends on age, lesion acuteness, or stroke severity. Furthermore, it is important to identify parameters optimizing the beneficial effects of rTMS on stroke recovery, and to monitor their long-term effects.

Repetitive auditory stimulation (with click trains) and visual velocity signals both have intriguing effects on the subjective passage of time. Previous studies have established that prior presentation of auditory clicks increases the subjective duration of subsequent sensory input, and that faster moving stimuli are also judged to have been presented for longer (the time dilation effect). However, the effect of clicks on velocity estimation is unknown, and the nature of the time dilation effect remains ambiguous. Here were present a series of five experiments to explore these phenomena in more detail. Participants viewed a rightward moving grating which traveled at velocities ranging from 5 to 15°/s and which lasted for durations of 500 to 1500 ms. Gratings were preceded by clicks, silence or white noise. It was found that both clicks and higher velocities increased subjective duration. It was also found that the time dilation effect was a constant proportion of stimulus duration. This implies that faster velocity increases the rate of the pacemaker component of the internal clock. Conversely, clicks increased subjective velocity, but the magnitude of this effect was not proportional to actual velocity. Through considerations of these results, we conclude that clicks independently affect velocity and duration representations.

Full Text Available Despite numerous clinical studies, which have investigated the therapeutic potential of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS in various brain diseases, our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying rTMS-based therapies remains limited. Thus, a deeper understanding of rTMS-induced neural plasticity is required to optimize current treatment protocols. Studies in small animals or appropriate in vitro preparations (including models of brain diseases provide highly useful experimental approaches in this context. State-of-the-art electrophysiological and live-cell imaging techniques that are well established in basic neuroscience can help answering some of the major questions in the field, such as (i which neural structures are activated during TMS, (ii how does rTMS induce Hebbian plasticity, and (iii are other forms of plasticity (e.g., metaplasticity, structural plasticity induced by rTMS? We argue that data gained from these studies will support the development of more effective and specific applications of rTMS in clinical practice.

The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on kindling-induced synaptic potentiation and to study the effect of frequency and coil shape on rTMS effectiveness. Seizures were induced in rats by perforant path stimulation in a rapid kindling manner (12 stimulations/day). rTMS was applied at different frequencies (0.5, 1 and 2 Hz), using either figure-8 shaped or circular coils at different times (during or before kindling stimulations). rTMS had antiepileptogenic effect at all frequencies and imposed inhibitory effects on enhancement of population excitatory postsynaptic potential slope and population spike amplitude when applied during kindling acquisition. Furthermore, it prevented the kindling-induced changes in paired pulse indices. The inhibitory effect of rTMS was higher at the frequency of 1 Hz compared to 0.5 and 2 Hz. Application of rTMS 1Hz by circular coil imposed a weaker inhibitory action compared with the figure-8 coil. In addition, the results showed that pretreatment of animals by both coils had similar preventing effect on kindling acquisition as well as kindling-induced synaptic potentiation. Obtained results demonstrated that the antiepileptogenic effect of low frequency rTMS is accompanied with the preventing of the kindling induced potentiation. This effect is dependent on rTMS frequency and slightly on coil-type.

The present study analyzed the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on brain activity. P300 latency of event-related potential (ERP) was used to evaluate the effects of low-frequency and short-term rTMS by stimulating the supramarginal gyrus (SMG), which is considered to be the related area of P300 origin. In addition, the prolonged stimulation effects on P300 latency were analyzed after applying rTMS. A figure-eight coil was used to stimulate left-right SMG, and intensity of magnetic stimulation was 80% of motor threshold. A total of 100 magnetic pulses were applied for rTMS. The effects of stimulus frequency at 0.5 or 1 Hz were determined. Following rTMS, an odd-ball task was performed and P300 latency of ERP was measured. The odd-ball task was performed at 5, 10, and 15 min post-rTMS. ERP was measured prior to magnetic stimulation as a control. Electroencephalograph (EEG) was measured at Fz, Cz, and Pz that were indicated by the international 10-20 electrode system. Results demonstrated that different effects on P300 latency occurred between 0.5-1 Hz rTMS. With 1 Hz low-frequency magnetic stimulation to the left SMG, P300 latency decreased. Compared to the control, the latency time difference was approximately 15 ms at Cz. This decrease continued for approximately 10 min post-rTMS. In contrast, 0.5 Hz rTMS resulted in delayed P300 latency. Compared to the control, the latency time difference was approximately 20 ms at Fz, and this delayed effect continued for approximately 15 min post-rTMS. Results demonstrated that P300 latency varied according to rTMS frequency. Furthermore, the duration of the effect was not similar for stimulus frequency of low-frequency rTMS.

Surface damage of carbon fiber composite (CFC) and tungsten (W) due to repetitive ELM-like pulsed plasma irradiation has been investigated by using a magnetized coaxial plasma gun. CX2002U CFC and stress-relieved W samples were exposed to repetitivepulsed deuterium plasmas with duration of ˜0.5 ms, incident ion energy of ˜30 eV, and surface absorbed energy density of ˜0.3-0.7 MJ/m2. Bright spots on a CFC surface during pulsed plasma exposures were clearly observed with a high-speed camera, indicating a local surface heating. No melting of a W surface was observed under a single plasma pulse exposure at energy density of ˜0.7 MJ/m2, although cracks were formed. Cracking of the W surface grew with repetitivepulsed plasma exposures. Subsequently, the surface melted due to localized heat absorption.

Our knowledge about the mechanisms of human motor cortex facilitation induced by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is still incomplete. Here we used pharmacological conditioning with carbamazepine, dextrometorphan, lorazepam, and placebo to elucidate the type of plasticity underlying this facilitation, and to probe if mechanisms reminiscent of long-term potentiation are involved. Over the primary motor cortex of 10 healthy subjects, we applied biphasic rTMS pulses of effective posterior current direction in the brain. We used six blocks of 200 pulses at 5-Hz frequency and 90% active motor threshold intensity and controlled for corticospinal excitability changes using motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes and latencies elicited by suprathreshold pulses before, in between, and after rTMS. Target muscle was the dominant abductor digiti minimi muscle; we coregistered the dominant extensor carpi radialis muscle. We found a lasting facilitation induced by this type of rTMS. The GABAergic medication lorazepam and to a lesser extent the ion channel blocker carbamazepine reduced the MEP facilitation after biphasic effective posteriorly oriented rTMS, whereas the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-antagonist dextrometorphan had no effect. Our main conclusion is that the mechanism of the facilitation induced by biphasic effective posterior rTMS is more likely posttetanic potentiation than long-term potentiation. Additional findings were prolonged MEP latency under carbamazepine, consistent with sodium channel blockade, and larger MEP amplitudes from extensor carpi radialis under lorazepam, suggesting GABAergic involvement in the center-surround balance of excitability.

Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the effects of repetitive transcranialmagnetic stimulation in patients with major depression who weresubmitted to this treatment during the period from 2000 to 2006.Methods: A retrospective study with 204 patients who underwenttreatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, collectingdata from those who experienced remission (defined as a HDRS scoreequal to or lower than 7. The patients were followed for up to 6 monthsafter treatment. Mean duration of remission for this cohort of patientswas 70.2 (± 58.4 days. Results: The only variable associated withthe duration of remission in the linear regression model was numberof repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation sessions. Conclusion:Our findings suggest that the greater the number of sessions, the longerthe duration of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation effects.Consequently, future research investigating the effects of repetitivetranscranial magnetic stimulation should explore this variable in orderto maximize the therapeutic effects of this new brain stimulationtechnique.

@@ The theoretical investigation of all parameter noises in repetition-rate laser pulse train was presented. The expression of power spectrum of laser pulse trains with all parameter noises was derived, and the power spectra of pulse trains with different noise parameters were numerically simulated. By comparing the power spectra with and without pulse-width jitter, we noted that pulse-width jitter could not be neglected compared with amplitude noise and timing jitter and contributed a great amount of noise into the power spectrum under the condition that the product of pulse width and angular frequency was larger than 1.

A compact neodymium glass laser with a pulse energy of 220 J and a record-high pulserepetition rate of 0.02 Hz (pulse duration 30 ns) is developed. Thermally induced phase distortions are compensated using wave phase conjugation. The integral depolarisation of radiation is decreased to 0.4% by using linear compensation schemes. The second harmonic of laser radiation can be used for pumping Ti : sapphire multipetawatt complexes. (letters)

Most investigations on the laser generation and fragmentation of nanoparticles focus on Feret particle size, although the hydrodynamic size of nanoparticles is of great importance, for example in biotechnology for diffusion in living cells, or in engineering, for a tuned rheology of suspensions. In this sense, the formation and fragmentation of gold colloidal nanoparticles using femtosecond laser ablation at variable pulserepetition rates (100-5000 Hz) in deionized water were investigated through their plasmon resonance and hydrodynamic diameter, measured by Dynamic Light Scattering. The increment of the repetition rate does not influence the ablation efficiency, but produces a decrease of the hydrodynamic diameter and blue-shift of the plasmon resonance of the generated gold nanoparticles. Fragmentation, induced by inter-pulse irradiation of the colloids was measured online, showing to be more effective low repetition rates. The pulserepetition rate is shown to be an appropriate laser parameter for hydrodynamic size control of nanoparticles without further influence on the production efficiency.

In four conscious patients who had electrodes implanted in the cervical epidural space for the control of pain, we recorded corticospinal volleys evoked by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the motor cortex before and after a 20 s period of continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS). It has previously been reported that this form of repetitive TMS reduces the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), with the maximum effect occurring at 5-10 min after the end of stimulation. The present results show that cTBS preferentially decreases the amplitude of the corticospinal I1 wave, with approximately the same time course. This is consistent with a cortical origin of the effect on the MEP. However, other protocols that lead to MEP suppression, such as short-interval intracortical inhibition, are characterized by reduced excitability of late I waves (particularly I3), suggesting that cTBS suppresses MEPs through different mechanisms, such as long-term depression in excitatory synaptic connections.

Full Text Available The aim of the present work was the development of laser systems for ablation of biological tissues with a programmable control over the lasing pulserepetition rate in a wide range. A two-stage laser system consisting of a master oscillator and a power amplifier based on strontium vapor laser has been developed. The operation of the laser system in a single-pulse mode operation, multipulse mode operation, and with a pulserepetition rate up to 20 kHz has been technically implemented. The possibility of a bone tissue ablation with no visible thermal damage is shown.

Utilizing nanosecond high voltage pulses to drive microdischarges (MDs) at repetition rates in the vicinity of 1 MHz previously enabled increased time-averaged power deposition, peak vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) power yield, as well as time-averaged VUV power yield. Here, various pulse widths (30-250 ns), and pulserepetition rates (100 kHz-5 MHz) are utilized, and the resulting VUV yield is reported. It was observed that the use of a 50 ns pulse width, at a repetition rate of 100 kHz, provided 62 W peak VUV power and 310 mW time-averaged VUV power, with a time-averaged VUV generation efficiency of ˜1.1%. Optimization of the driving parameters resulted in 1-2 orders of magnitude increase in peak and time-averaged power when compared to low power, dc-driven MDs.

excitation. Preferential excitation of neuronal target cells in the posterior-anterior segment or targeting of different neuronal structures by the two half-segments can explain this result. Thus, our findings help understanding the mechanisms of neural stimulation by full-sine TMS.......A full-sine (biphasic) pulse waveform is most commonly used for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), but little is known about how variations in duration or amplitude of distinct pulse segments influence the effectiveness of a single TMS pulse to elicit a corticomotor response. Using......) compared monophasic, half-sine, and full-sine pulses, (ii) applied two-segment pulses consisting of two identical half-sines, and (iii) manipulated amplitude, duration, and current direction of the first or second full-sine pulse half-segments. RMT was significantly higher using half-sine or monophasic...

A group of European experts was commissioned to establish guidelines on the therapeutic use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) from evidence published up until March 2014, regarding pain, movement disorders, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy...

Optically pumped terahertz (THz) lasers with high pulserepetition frequency are designed. Such a laser includes two parts: the optically pumping laser and the THz laser. The structures of the laser are described and analyzed. The rate equations for the pulsed THz laser are given. The kinetic process and laser pulse waveform for this kind of laser are numerically calculated based on the theory of rate equations. The theoretical results give a helpful guide to the research of such lasers.

Pulsed breakdown of dry air at ambient pressure has been investigated in the point-plane geometry,using repetitive nanosecond pulses with 10 ns risetime,20-30 as duration,and up to 100 kV amplitude.A major concern in this paper is to study the dependence of breakdown strength on the point-electrode polarity.Applied voltage,breakdown current and repetitive stressing time are measured under the experimental conditions of some variables including pulse voltage peak,gap spacing and repetition rate.The results show that increasing the E-field strength can decrease breakdown time lag,repetitive stressing time and the number of applied pulses as expected.However,compared with the traditional polarity dependence it is weakened and not significant in the repetitive nanosecond-pulse breakdown.The ambiguous polaxity dependence in the experimental study is involved with an accumulation effect of residual charges and metastable states.Moreover,it is suggested that the reactions associated with the detachment of negative ions and impact deactivation of metastable specms could provide a source of primary initiating electrons for breakdown.

Repetitive facilitative exercise (RFE) is a developed approach to the rehabilitation of hemiplegia. RFE can be integrated with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), direct application of vibratory stimulation (DAVS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). The aims of the present study were to retrospectively compare the effects of RFE and NMES, DAVS with those of RFE and rTMS, and to determine the maximal effect of the combination of RFE with NMES, DAVS, rTMS and pharmacological treatments in stroke patients. Thirty-three stroke patients were enrolled and divided into three groups: 15 who received RFE with rTMS (4 min) (TMS4 alone), 9 who received RFE with NMES, DAVS (NMES, DAVS alone) and 9 who received RFE with NMES, DAVS and rTMS (10 min) (rTMS10 + NMES, DAVS). The subjects performed the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) before and after the 2-week session. The 18 patients in the NMES, DAVS alone and rTMS10 + NMES, DAVS group underwent the intervention for 4 weeks. There were no significant differences in the increases in the FMA, ARAT scores in the three groups. The FMA or ARAT scores in the NMES, DAVS alone and the rTMS10 + NMES, DAVS group were increased significantly. The FMA and ARAT scores were significantly improved after 4 weeks in the NMES, DAVS alone group. RFE with NMES, DAVS may be more effective than RFE with rTMS for the recovery of upper-limb function. Patients who received RFE with NMES, DAVS and pharmacological treatments showed significant functional recovery.

We present a simple ultraviolet sub-nanosecond pulse generator using commercial ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with peak emission wavelengths of 290 nm, 318 nm, 338 nm, and 405 nm. The generator is based on step recovery diode, short-circuited transmission line, and current-shaping circuit. The narrowest pulses achieved have 630 ps full width at half maximum at repetition rate of 80 MHz. Optical pulse power in the range of several hundreds of microwatts depends on the applied bias voltage. The bias voltage dependences of the output optical pulse width and peak power are analysed and discussed. Compared to commercial UV sub-nanosecond generators, the proposed generator can produce much higher pulserepetition rate and peak power.

This paper presents a novel data acquisition system for continuous sampling of ultra-short pulses generated by terahertz (THz) detectors. Karlsruhe Pulse Taking Ultra-fast Readout Electronics (KAPTURE) is able to digitize pulse shapes with a sampling time down to 3 ps and pulserepetition rates up to 500 MHz. KAPTURE has been integrated as a permanent diagnostic device at ANKA and is used for investigating the emitted coherent synchrotron radiation in the THz range. A second version of KAPTURE has been developed to improve the performance and flexibility. The new version offers a better sampling accuracy for a pulserepetition rate up to 2 GHz. The higher data rate produced by the sampling system is processed in real-time by a heterogeneous FPGA and GPU architecture operating up to 6.5 GB/s continuously. Results in accelerator physics will be reported and the new design of KAPTURE be discussed.

Stroke is a leading cause of adult motor disability. The number of stroke survivors is increasing in industrialized countries, and despite available treatments used in rehabilitation, the recovery of motor functions after stroke is often incomplete. Studies in the 1980s showed that non-invasive brain stimulation (mainly repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation [rTMS] and transcranial direct current stimulation [tDCS]) could modulate cortical excitability and induce plasticity in healthy humans. These findings have opened the way to the therapeutic use of the 2 techniques for stroke. The mechanisms underlying the cortical effect of rTMS and tDCS differ. This paper summarizes data obtained in healthy subjects and gives a general review of the use of rTMS and tDCS in stroke patients with altered motor functions. From 1988 to 2012, approximately 1400 publications were devoted to the study of non-invasive brain stimulation in humans. However, for stroke patients with limb motor deficit, only 141 publications have been devoted to the effects of rTMS and 132 to those of tDCS. The Cochrane review devoted to the effects of rTMS found 19 randomized controlled trials involving 588 patients, and that devoted to tDCS found 18 randomized controlled trials involving 450 patients. Without doubt, rTMS and tDCS contribute to physiological and pathophysiological studies in motor control. However, despite the increasing number of studies devoted to the possible therapeutic use of non-invasive brain stimulation to improve motor recovery after stroke, further studies will be necessary to specify their use in rehabilitation.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) at frequencies lower than 5 Hz transiently inhibits the stimulated area. In healthy participants, such a protocol can induce a transient attentional bias to the visual hemifield ipsilateral to the stimulated hemisphere. This bias might be due to a relatively less active stimulated hemisphere and a relatively more active unstimulated hemisphere. In a previous study, Jin and Hilgetag (2008) tried to switc...

Using a unipolar pulse with the rise time and the pulse duration in the order of microsecond as the primary pulse,a nanosecond pulse with the repetitive frequency of several kilohertz is generated by a spark gap switch.By varying both the inter-pulse duration and the pulse frequency,the voltage recovery rate of the spark gap switch is investigated at different working conditions such as the gas pressure,the gas composition as well as the bias voltage.The results reveal that either increase in gas pressure or addition of SF6 to the air can increase the voltage recovery rate.The effect of gas composition on the voltage recovery rate is discussed based on the transferring and distribution of the residual space charges.The repetitive nanosecond pulse source is also applied to the generation of large volume,and the discharge currents are measured to investigate the effect of pulserepetition rate on the large volume streamer discharge.

The improved magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator (MILO) is a gigawatt-class L-band high power microwave tube. It has allowed us to generate 3.1 GW pulse of 40 ns duration in the single-pulse operation and 500 MW pulse of 25 ns duration in the repetition rate operation. However, because of the severe impedance mismatch, the power conversion efficiency is only about 4% in the repetition rate operation. In order to eliminate the impedance mismatch and obtain repetitive long-pulse high-power microwave (HPM), a series of experiments are carried out and the recent progress is presented in this paper. In the single-pulse operation, when the diode voltage is 466 kV and current is 41.6 kA, the radiated microwave power is above 2.2 GW, the pulse duration is above 102 ns, the microwave frequency is about 1.74 GHz, and the power conversion efficiency is about 11.5%. In the repetition rate operation, under the condition of the diode voltage about 400 kV, beam current about 38 kA, the radiated microwave power is about 1.0 GW, the pulse duration is about 85 ns. Moreover, the radiated microwave power and the pulse duration decline little by little when the shot numbers increase gradually. The experimental results show that the impedance matching is a vital factor for HPM systems and one of the major technical challenges is to improve the cathode for the repetition rate operation MILO.

A compact L-band sealed-tube magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator (MILO) has been developed that does not require bulky external vacuum pump for repetitive operations. This device with a ceramic insulated vacuum interface, a carbon fiber array cathode, and non-evaporable getters has a base vacuum pressure in the low 10-6 Pa range. A dynamic 3-D Monte-Carlo model for the molecular flow movement and collision was setup for the MILO chamber. The pulse desorption, gas evolution, and pressure distribution were exactly simulated. In the 5 Hz repetition rate experiments, using a 600 kV diode voltage and 48 kA beam current, the average radiated microwave power for 25 shots is about 3.4 GW in 45 ns pulse duration. The maximum equilibrium pressure is below 4.0 × 10-2 Pa, and no pulse shortening limitations are observed during the repetitive test in the sealed-tube condition.

Previous studies in patients with Parkinson's disease have reported that a single session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve some or all of the motor symptoms for 30 to 60 minutes. A recent study suggested that repeated sessions of rTMS lead to effects that can last for at least 1 month. Here we report data that both confirm and extend this work. Fifty-five unmedicated PD patients were classified into four groups: two groups (early and late PD) received 25 Hz rTMS bilaterally on the motor arm and leg areas; other groups acted as control for frequency (10 Hz) and for site of stimulation (occipital stimulation). All patients received six consecutive daily sessions (3,000 pulses for each session). The first two groups then received a further three booster sessions (3 consecutive days of rTMS) after 1, 2, and 3 months, while the third group had only one additional session after the first month. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), walking time, key-tapping speed, and self-assessment scale were measured for each patient before and after each rTMS session and before and after the monthly sessions. Compared to occipital stimulation, 25 Hz rTMS over motor areas improved all measures in both early and late groups; the group that received 10 Hz rTMS improved more than the occipital group but less than the 25 Hz groups. The effect built up gradually during the sessions and was maintained for 1 month after, with a slight reduction in efficacy. Interestingly, the effect was restored and maintained for the next month by the booster sessions. We conclude that 25 Hz rTMS can lead to cumulative and long-lasting effects on motor performance.

We demonstrate a silicon-on-insulator microring resonator with a free-spectral-range of 0.32 nm, an extinction ratio of 27 dB, and a quality factor of ~140900 at 1550 nm that is used for pulserepetition-rate multiplication from 10 to 40 GHz.......We demonstrate a silicon-on-insulator microring resonator with a free-spectral-range of 0.32 nm, an extinction ratio of 27 dB, and a quality factor of ~140900 at 1550 nm that is used for pulserepetition-rate multiplication from 10 to 40 GHz....

...)) from 20 to 25 were examined during 8 d of daily tDCS or a sham stimulation. After tDCS or sham stimulation on the first and the last day of both experimental conditions, participants consumed food ad libitum from a standardized test buffet...

We report on a watt range laser system generating picosecond pulses using electro-optical modulation of a 1030 nm single frequency low noise laser diode. Its repetition rate is continuously tunable between 11 and 18 GHz. Over this range, output spectra and pulse characteristics are measured and compared with a numerical simulation. Finally, amplitude and residual phase noise measurements of the source are also presented.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation can be influenced by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in vivo via microRNA-106b-25 cluster, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study investigated the involvement of microRNA-106b-25 cluster in the proliferation of NSCs after repetitive magnetic stimulation (rMS) in vitro. NSCs were stimulated by rMS (200/400/600/800/1000 pulses per day, with 10 Hz frequency and 50% maximum machine output) over a 3-day period. NSCs proliferation was detected by using ki-67 and EdU staining. Ki-67, p21, p57, cyclinD1, cyclinE, cyclinA, cdk2, cdk4 proteins and miR-106b, miR-93, miR-25 mRNAs were detected by Western blotting and qRT-PCR, respectively. The results showed that rMS could promote NSCs proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The proportions of ki-67+ and Edu+ cells in 1000 pulses group were 20.65% and 4.00%, respectively, significantly higher than those in control group (9.25%, 2.05%). The expression levels of miR-106b and miR-93 were significantly upregulated in 600-1000 pulses groups compared with control group (Pp21 protein were decreased significantly in 800/1000 pulses groups, and those of cyclinD1, cyclinA, cyclinE, cdk2 and cdk4 were obviously increased after rMS as compared with control group (Pp21/cdks/cyclins pathway was involved in the process.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive treatment technique that can directly alter cortical excitability and improve cerebral functional activity in unconscious patients. To investigate the effects and the electrophysiological changes of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation cortical treatment, 10 stroke patients with non-severe brainstem lesions and with disturbance of consciousness were treated with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. A quantitative electroencephalography spectral power analysis was also performed. The absolute power in the alpha band was increased immediately after the first repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment, and the energy was reduced in the delta band. The alpha band relative power values slightly decreased at 1 day post-treatment, then increased and reached a stable level at 2 weeks post-treatment. Glasgow Coma Score and JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised score were improved. Relative power value in the alpha band was positively related to Glasgow Coma Score and JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised score. These data suggest that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive, safe, and effective treatment technology for improving brain functional activity and promoting awakening in unconscious stroke patients.

A short-pulse longitudinally excited CO2 laser operating at a high repetition rate was developed. The discharge tube was made of a 45 cm-long or 60 cm-long dielectric tube with an inner diameter of 16 mm and two metallic electrodes at the ends of the tube. The optical cavity was formed by a ZnSe output coupler with a reflectivity of 85% and a high-reflection mirror. Mixed gas (CO2:N2:He = 1:1:2) was flowed into the discharge tube. A high voltage of about 33 kV with a rise time of about 200 ns was applied to the discharge tube. At a repetition rate of 300 Hz and a gas pressure of 3.4 kPa, the 45 cm-long discharge tube produced a short laser pulse with a laser pulse energy of 17.5 mJ, a spike pulse energy of 0.2 mJ, a spike width of 153 ns, and a pulse tail length of 90 μs. The output power was 5.3 W. The laser pulse waveform did not depend on the repetition rate, but the laser beam profile did. At a low repetition rate of less than 50 Hz, the laser beam had a doughnut-like shape. However, at a high repetition rate of more than 150 Hz, the discharge concentrated at the center of the discharge tube, and the intensity at the center of the laser beam was higher. The laser beam profile depended on the distribution of the discharge. An output power of 7.0 W was achieved by using the 60 cm-long tube.

Full Text Available Patients with clinical diseases often present psychiatric conditions whose pharmacological treatment is hampered due to hazardous interactions with the clinical treatment and/or disease. This is particularly relevant for major depressive disorder, the most common psychiatric disorder in the general hospital. In this context, nonpharmacological interventions could be useful therapies; and, among those, noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS might be an interesting option. The main methods of NIBS are repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS, which was recently approved as a nonresearch treatment for some psychiatric conditions, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS, a technique that is currently limited to research scenarios but has shown promising results. Therefore, our aim was to review the main medical conditions associated with high depression rates, the main obstacles for depression treatment, and whether these therapies could be a useful intervention for such conditions. We found that depression is an important and prevalent comorbidity in a variety of diseases such as epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson's disease, myocardial infarction, cancer, and in other conditions such as pregnancy and in patients without enteral access. We found that treatment of depression is often suboptimal within the above contexts and that rTMS and tDCS therapies have been insufficiently appraised. We discuss whether rTMS and tDCS could have a significant impact in treating depression that develops within a clinical context, considering its unique characteristics such as the absence of pharmacological interactions, the use of a nonenteral route, and as an augmentation therapy for antidepressants.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has been successfully used as a non-invasive therapeutic intervention for several neurological disorders in the clinic as well as an investigative tool for basic neuroscience. rTMS has been shown to induce long-term changes in neuronal circuits in vivo. Such long-term effects of rTMS have been investigated using behavioral, imaging, electrophysiological, and molecular approaches, but there is limited understanding of the immediate effects of TMS on neurons. We investigated the immediate effects of high frequency (20 Hz) rTMS on the activity of cortical neurons in an effort to understand the underlying cellular mechanisms activated by rTMS. We used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in acute rat brain slices and calcium imaging of cultured primary neurons to examine changes in neuronal activity and intracellular calcium respectively. Our results indicate that each TMS pulse caused an immediate and transient activation of voltage gated sodium channels (9.6 ± 1.8 nA at -45 mV, p value rTMS stimulation induced action potentials in a subpopulation of neurons, and significantly increased the steady state current of the neurons at near threshold voltages (at -45 mV: before TMS: I = 130 ± 17 pA, during TMS: I = 215 ± 23 pA, p value = 0.001). rTMS stimulation also led to a delayed increase in intracellular calcium (153.88 ± 61.94% increase from baseline). These results show that rTMS has an immediate and cumulative effect on neuronal activity and intracellular calcium levels, and suggest that rTMS may enhance neuronal responses when combined with an additional motor, sensory or cognitive stimulus. Thus, these results could be translated to optimize rTMS protocols for clinical as well as basic science applications. PMID:28114421

Full Text Available Chronic tinnitus is associated with neuroplastic changes in auditory and non-auditory cortical areas. About ten years ago, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS of auditory and prefrontal cortex was introduced as potential treatment for tinnitus. The resulting changes in tinnitus loudness are interpreted in the context of rTMS induced activity changes (neuroplasticity. Here, we investigate the effect of single rTMS sessions on oscillatory power to probe the capacity of rTMS to interfere with tinnitus-specific cortical plasticity. We measured 20 patients with bilateral chronic tinnitus and 20 healthy controls comparable for age, sex, handedness, and hearing level with a 63-channel EEG system. Educational level, intelligence, depressivity and hyperacusis were controlled for by analysis of covariance. Different rTMS protocols were tested: Left and right temporal and left and right prefrontal cortices were each stimulated with 200 pulses at 1Hz and with an intensity of 60% stimulator output. Stimulation of central parietal cortex with 6-fold reduced intensity (inverted passive-cooled coil served as sham condition. Before and after each rTMS protocol five minutes of resting state EEG were recorded. The order of rTMS protocols was randomized over two sessions with one week interval in between.Analyses on electrode level showed that people with and without tinnitus differed in their response to left temporal and right frontal stimulation. In tinnitus patients left temporal rTMS decreased frontal theta and delta and increased beta2 power, whereas right frontal rTMS decreased right temporal beta3 and gamma power. No changes or increases were observed in the control group. Only non-systematic changes in tinnitus loudness were induced by single sessions of rTMS.This is the first study to show tinnitus-related alterations of neuroplasticity that were specific to stimulation site and oscillatory frequency. The observed effects can be interpreted

A type of electrical discharge called sliding discharge was developed to generate plasma aerodynamic actuation for flow control. A three-electrode plasma sheet actuator driven by repetitive nanosecond pulses with a negative DC component was used to generate sliding discharge, which can be called nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge. The phenomenology and behaviour of the plasma sheet actuator were investigated experimentally. Discharge morphology shows that the formation of nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge is dependent on the peak value of the repetitive nanosecond pulses and negative DC component applied on the plasma sheet actuator. Compared to dielectric barrier discharge （DBD）, the extension of plasma in nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge is quasi-diffusive, stable, longer and more intensive. Test results of particle image velocimetry demonstrate that the negative DC component applied to a third electrode could significantly modify the topology of the flow induced by nanosecond-pulse DBD. Body force induced by the nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge can be approximately in the order of mN. Both the maximum velocity and the body force induced by sliding discharge increase significantly as compared to single DBD. Therefore, nanosecond-pulse sliding discharge is a preferable plasma aerodynamic actuation generation mode, which is very promising in the field of aerodynamics.

We report on the generation of high energy femtosecond pulses at 1 MHz repetition rate from a fiber laser pumped optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Nonlinear bandwidth enhancement in fibers provides the intrinsically synchronized signal for the parametric amplifier. We demonstrate large tunability extending from 700 nm to 1500 nm of femtosecond pulses with pulse energies as high as 1.2 muJ when the OPA is seeded by a supercontinuum generated in a photonic crystal fiber. Broadband amplification over more than 85 nm is achieved at a fixed wavelength. Subsequent compression in a prism sequence resulted in 46 fs pulses. With an average power of 0.5 W these pulses have a peak-power above 10 MW. In particular, the average power and pulse energy scalability of both involved concepts, the fiber laser and the parametric amplifier, will enable easy up-scaling to higher powers.

Full Text Available We performed a retrospective chart review to examine the progress of patients with depression who received different frequencies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS delivered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC. rTMS is a safe and effective alternative treatment for patients with various psychological and medical conditions. During treatment, a coil delivering a time-varying magnetic pulse placed over the scalp penetrates the skull, resulting in clinical improvement. There were 47 patients and three distinct treatment groups found: 10 Hz, 20 Hz, and a separate group who received both frequencies (10/20 Hz. The primary outcome indicator was the difference in Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI-II scores. Secondary outcomes included categorical indicators of remission, response, and partial response rates as assessed with the BDI-II. In all 3 groups, the majority of patients had depression that remitted, with the highest rate occurring in the 20 Hz group. There were similar response rates in the 10 Hz and 20 Hz groups. There were no patients in the 10/20 Hz group whose depression responded and the highest partial response and nonresponse rates occurred in this group. Although within-group differences were significant from baseline to end of treatment, there were no between-group differences.

We experimentally investigate multipulse regimes obtained within a passively-mode-locked fiber laser that includes a Mach-Zehnder (MZ) interferometer. By adjusting the time delay imbalance of the MZ, ultrashort pulse trains at multi-GHz repetition rates are generated. We compare the observed dynamics with high-harmonic mode locking, and show that the multi-GHz pulse trains display an inherent instability, which has been overlooked. By using a recirculation loop containing the MZ, we demonstrate a significant improvement of the pulse train stability.

Development and operation characteristics of a repetitivelypulsed UV spark pre-ionized XeCl(Xenon Chloride) excimer laser is described. The laser uses discharge pumped C–C charge transfer excitation. A compact gas circulation loop was adopted to achieve high repetition rate operation. The laser generates optical pulses of energy 150 mJ at 150 Hz reliably. The electrical to optical conversion efﬁciency obtained is 1%. The laser pulse duration is ∼8 nS (FWHM). The single ﬁll gas lifetime have been found to be 2 × 106 shots for 20% reduction of energy without any halogen injection. The system is compact and reliable.

The operating characteristics of a semiconductor opening switch (SOS) are determined by its pumping circuit parameters. SOS is still able to cut off the current when pumping current duration falls to the order of tens of nanoseconds and a short pulse forms simultaneously in the output load. An all-solid-state repetitive SOS-based short pulse generator (SPG100) with a three-level magnetic pulse compression unit was successfully constructed. The generator adopts magnetic pulse compression unit with metallic glass and ferrite cores, which compresses a 600 V, 10 mus primary pulse into short pulse with forward pumping current of 825 A, 60 ns and reverse pumping current of 1.3 kA, 30 ns. The current is sent to SOS in which the reverse pumping current is interrupted. The generator is capable of providing a pulse with the voltage of 120 kV and duration of 5-6 ns while output load being 125 Omega. The highest repetition rate is up to 1 kHz.

Approximately one-third of patients with epilepsy remain with pharmacologically intractable seizures. An emerging therapeutic modality for seizure suppression is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Despite being considered a safe technique, rTMS carries the risk of inducing seizures, among other milder adverse events, and thus, its safety in the population with epilepsy should be continuously assessed. We performed an updated systematic review on the safety and tolerability of rTMS in patients with epilepsy, similar to a previous report published in 2007 (Bae EH, Schrader LM, Machii K, Alonso-Alonso M, Riviello JJ, Pascual-Leone A, Rotenberg A. Safety and tolerability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with epilepsy: a review of the literature. Epilepsy Behav. 2007; 10 (4): 521-8), and estimated the risk of seizures and other adverse events during or shortly after rTMS application. We searched the literature for reports of rTMS being applied on patients with epilepsy, with no time or language restrictions, and obtained studies published from January 1990 to August 2015. A total of 46 publications were identified, of which 16 were new studies published after the previous safety review of 2007. We noted the total number of subjects with epilepsy undergoing rTMS, medication usage, incidence of adverse events, and rTMS protocol parameters: frequency, intensity, total number of stimuli, train duration, intertrain intervals, coil type, and stimulation site. Our main data analysis included separate calculations for crude per subject risk of seizure and other adverse events, as well as risk per 1000 stimuli. We also performed an exploratory, secondary analysis on the risk of seizure and other adverse events according to the type of coil used (figure-of-8 or circular), stimulation frequency (≤ 1 Hz or > 1 Hz), pulse intensity in terms of motor threshold (rTMS with maximum stimulator output for speech arrest, clinically arising

We extend the technique of multiplex coherent Raman spectroscopy with two femtosecond mode-locked lasers to oscillators of a pulserepetition frequency of 1 GHz. We demonstrate spectra of liquids, which span 1100 cm$^{-1}$ of Raman shifts. At a resolution of 6 cm$^{-1}$, their measurement time may be as short as 5 microseconds for a refresh rate of 2 kHz. The waiting period between acquisitions is improved ten-fold compared to previous experiments with two lasers of 100-MHz repetition frequencies.

Full Text Available Phantom limb pain is very common after limb amputation and is often difficult to treat. The motor cortex stimulation is a valid treatment for deafferentation pain that does not respond to conventional pain treatment, with relief for 50% to 70% of patients. This treatment is invasive as it uses implanted epidural electrodes. Cortical stimulation can be performed noninvasively by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS. The stimulation of the hemisphere that isn't involved in phantom limb (unaffected hemisphere, remains unexplored. We report a case of phantom limb pain treated with 1 Hz rTMS stimulation over motor cortex in unaffected hemisphere. This stimulation produces a relevant clinical improvement of phantom limb pain; however, further studies are necessary to determine the efficacy of the method and the stimulation parameters.

Slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a method capable of transiently inhibiting cortical excitability and disrupting information processing in the visual system. This method can be used to topographically map the functional contribution of different cortical brain areas in vis

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been proposed as a treatment for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. During the past decade, several trials have reported on the efficacy of rTMS treatment; however, the results were inconsistent. Objective: To assess the effica

Congenital mirror movements retard typical hand functions, but no definite therapeutic modality is available to treat such movements. We report an 8-year-old boy with severe mirror movements of both hands. His mirror movements were assessed using the Woods and Teuber grading scale and his fine motor skills were also evaluated by the Purdue Pegboard Test. A 2-week regimen of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation produced markedly diminished mirror movement symptoms and increased the fine motor skills of both hands. Two weeks after the completion of the regimen, mirror movement grades had improved from grade 4 to 1 in both hands and the Purdue Pegboard Test results of the right and left hands also improved from 12 to 14 or 13. These improvements were maintained for 1 month after the 2-week repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation regimen. After 18 months, the mirror movement grade was maintained and the Purdue Pegboard test score had improved to 15 for the right hand while the left hand score was maintained at 13. This occurred without any additional repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation or other treatment. These findings suggest that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for this patient had a therapeutic and long-term effect on mirror movements.

A 29-year-old woman with schizophrenia introduced for application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for refractory visual hallucinations. Following inhibitory rTMS on visual cortex she reported significant reduction in severity and simplification of complexity of hallucinations, which lasted for three months. rTMS can be considered as a possibly potent treatment for visual hallucinations.

Repetitive magnetic stimulation has been shown to alter local blood flow of the brain, excite the corticospinal tract and muscle, and induce motor function recovery. We established a rat model of acute spinal cord injury using the modified Allen's method. After 4 hours of injury, rat models received repetitive magnetic stimulation, with a stimulus intensity of 35% maximum output intensity, 5-Hz frequency, 5 seconds for each sequence, and an interval of 2 minutes. This was repeated for a total of 10 sequences, once a day, 5 days in a week, for 2 consecutive weeks. After repetitive magnetic stimulation, the number of apoptotic cells decreased, matrix metalloproteinase 9/2 gene and protein expression decreased, nestin expression increased, somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials recovered, and motor function recovered in the injured spinal cord. These findings confirm that repetitive magnetic stimulation of the spinal cord improved the microenvironment of neural regeneration, reduced neuronal apoptosis, and induced neuroprotective and repair effects on the injured spinal cord.

Full Text Available Repetitive magnetic stimulation has been shown to alter local blood flow of the brain, excite the corticospinal tract and muscle, and induce motor function recovery. We established a rat model of acute spinal cord injury using the modified Allen′s method. After 4 hours of injury, rat models received repetitive magnetic stimulation, with a stimulus intensity of 35% maximum output intensity, 5-Hz frequency, 5 seconds for each sequence, and an interval of 2 minutes. This was repeated for a total of 10 sequences, once a day, 5 days in a week, for 2 consecutive weeks. After repetitive magnetic stimulation, the number of apoptotic cells decreased, matrix metalloproteinase 9/2 gene and protein expression decreased, nestin expression increased, somatosensory and motor-evoked potentials recovered, and motor function recovered in the injured spinal cord. These findings confirm that repetitive magnetic stimulation of the spinal cord improved the microenvironment of neural regeneration, reduced neuronal apoptosis, and induced neuroprotective and repair effects on the injured spinal cord.

Neural representations of novel motor skills can be acquired through visual observation. We used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to test the idea that this "motor learning by observing" is based on engagement of neural processes for learning in the primary motor cortex (M1). Human subjects who observed another person learning…

Abstract A rapid plantar flexion perturbation in the early stance phase of walking elicits a large stretch reflex in tibialis anterior (TA). In this study we use repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to test if this response is mediated through a transcortical pathway. TA stretch...

Purpose: The ability of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to enhance intracortical inhibition has motivated its use as a potential therapeutic intervention in focal hand dystonia (FHD). In this preliminary investigation, we assessed the physiologic and behavioral...

Several lines of evidence suggest that the cerebellum may play a role in the regulation of emotion. The aim of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that inhibition of cerebellar function using slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) would lead to increased negative mood as a

In this paper, the impacts of the parallel magnetic field on the repetitive nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) are experimentally investigated by optical and electrical measurements. The DBD is generated between two parallel-plate electrodes in the ambient air with the stationary magnetic field on the order of 1 T. The experimental results show that additional microdischarge channels are generated and the photocurrent intensity of the plasma is increased by the magnetic field. The microdischarge channels develop along the magnetic field lines and the diffuse background emission of the discharge is stronger in the DBD with the magnetic field. As the pulserepetition frequency decreases from 1200 Hz to 100 Hz, only the photocurrent intensity of the third discharge that occurred at about 500 ns is noticeably increased by the additional magnetic field. It is believed that the enhancement of the memory effect and the confinement of the magnetic field on electrons are the main reasons.

Correction of refraction index is important for length measurement. The two-color method has been widely used for correction. The wavelengths of lasers have been used as a ruler of that. Based on the analogy between the wavelength and the adjacent pulserepetition interval length (APRIL), in this paper we investigate the possibility of two-color method based on adjacent pulserepetition interval lengths. Since the wavelength-based two-color method can eliminate the inhomogeneous disturbance of effects caused by the phase refractive index, therefore the APRIL-based two-color method can eliminate the air turbulence of errors induced by the group refractive index. Our analysis will contribute to high-precision length measurement.

Theoretical and experimental studies of temporal dynamics of grazing incidence grating (GIG) cavity, single-mode dye laser pumped by high repetition rate copper vapour laser (CVL) are presented. Spectral chirp of the dye laser as they evolve in the cavity due to transient phase dynamics of the amplifier gain medium is studied. Effect of grating efficiency, focal spot size, pump power and other cavity parameters on the temporal behaviour of narrow band dye laser such as build-up time, pulse shape and pulse width is studied using the four level dye laser rate equation and photon evolution equation. These results are compared with experimental observations of GIG single-mode dye laser cavity. The effect of pulse stretching of CVL pump pulse on the temporal dynamics of the dye laser is studied.

Experimental and numerical modeling techniques demonstrated the possibilities of the spectral-time encoding and decoding for time division multiplexing sequence of femtosecond subpulses with a repetition rate of up to 6.4 THz. The sequence was formed as a result of the interference of two phase-modulated pulses. We report the limits of the application of the developed method of controlling formed sequence at the spectral-temporal coding.

A high repetition rate, compact micro-pulse all-solid-state laser is designed. The diffusion bonded crystal of YAG, Nd:YAG, and Cr4+:YAG is taken as a monolithic cavity. The optimized initial transmission,output coupling, and pumping size of Cr4+:YAG are calculated. The experimental results show that the laser satisfies the requirement of a spaceborne laser range finder.

A self-consistent state-to-state model of pure hydrogen has been used to investigate the development of nanosecond repetitivelypulsed discharges and dielectric barrier discharges, the latter coupling the kinetic model with an equation for the circuit, thus mimicking an insulated electrode with an external capacitance. Vibrationally excited states play a fundamental role, affecting the degrees of dissociation and ionization, as well as internal and free-electron distributions.

The analysis of acoustic data from the ocean is a valuable tool to study free ranging cetaceans and anthropogenic noise. Due to the typically large volume of acquired data, there is a demand for automated analysis techniques. Many cetaceans produce acoustic pulses (echolocation clicks) with a pulserepetition interval (PRI) remaining nearly constant over several pulses. Analyzing these pulse trains is challenging because they are often interleaved. This article presents an algorithm that estimates a pulse's PRI with respect to neighboring pulses. It includes a deinterleaving step that operates via a spectral dissimilarity metric. The sperm whale (SW) produces trains with PRIs between 0.5 and 2 s. As a validation, the algorithm was used for the PRI-based identification of SW click trains with data from the NEMO-ONDE observatory that contained other pulsed sounds, mainly from ship propellers. Separation of files containing SW clicks with a medium and high signal to noise ratio from files containing other pulsed sounds gave an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of 0.96. This study demonstrates that PRI can be used for the automated identification of SW clicks and that deinterleaving via spectral dissimilarity contributes to algorithm performance.

Full Text Available A full-sine (biphasic pulse waveform is most commonly used for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS, but little is known about how variations in duration or amplitude of distinct pulse segments influence the effectiveness of a single TMS pulse to elicit a corticomotor response. Using a novel TMS device, we systematically varied the configuration of full-sine pulses to assess the impact of configuration changes on resting motor threshold (RMT as measure of stimulation effectiveness with single-pulse TMS of the non-dominant motor hand area (M1. In young healthy volunteers, we (i compared monophasic, half-sine, and full-sine pulses, (ii applied two-segment pulses consisting of two identical half-sines, and (iii manipulated amplitude, duration, and current direction of the first or second full-sine pulse half-segments. RMT was significantly higher using half-sine or monophasic pulses compared with full-sine. Pulses combining two half-sines of identical polarity and duration were also characterized by higher RMT than full-sine stimuli resulting. For full-sine stimuli, decreasing the amplitude of the half-segment inducing posterior-anterior oriented current in M1 resulted in considerably higher RMT, whereas varying the amplitude of the half-segment inducing anterior-posterior current had a smaller effect. These findings provide direct experimental evidence that the pulse segment inducing a posterior-anterior directed current in M1 contributes most to corticospinal pathway excitation. Preferential excitation of neuronal target cells in the posterior-anterior segment or targeting of different neuronal structures by the two half-segments can explain this result. Thus, our findings help understanding the mechanisms of neural stimulation by full-sine TMS.

Full Text Available Blind zones and ambiguities in range and velocity measurement are two important issues in traditional pulse-Doppler radar. By generating random deviations with respect to a mean PulseRepetition Interval (PRI, this paper proposes a novel algorithm of Moving Target Detection (MTD based on the Compressed Sensing (CS theory, in which the random deviations of the PRIare converted to the Restricted Isometry Property (RIP of the observing matrix. The ambiguities of range and velocity are eliminated by designing the signal parameters. The simulation results demonstrate that this scheme has high performance of detection, and there is no ambiguity and blind zones as well. It can also shorten the coherent processing interval compared to traditional staggered PRI mode because only one pulse train is needed instead of several trains.

Tinnitus is a frequent symptom of traumatic brain injury, which is difficult to treat. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has shown beneficial effects in some forms of tinnitus. However, traumatic brain injury in the past has been considered as a relative contraindication for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation because of the increased risk of seizures. Here we present the case of a 53-year-old male patient suffering from severe tinnitus after traumatic brain injury with comorbid depression and alcohol abuse, who received 5 treatment series of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (1 Hz stimulation protocol over left primary auditory cortex, 10 sessions of 2000 stimuli each, stimulation intensity 110% resting motor threshold). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation was tolerated without any side effects and tinnitus complaints (measured by a validated tinnitus questionnaire and numeric rating scales) were improved in a replicable way throughout 5 courses of transcranial magnetic stimulation up to now.

Full Text Available Clinical studies on application of functional electrical stimulation (FES to motor rehabilitation have been increasing. However, muscle fatigue appears early in the course of repetitive movement production training by FES. Although M-wave variables were suggested to be reliable indices of muscle fatigue in long lasting constant electrical stimulation under the isometric condition, the ability of M-wave needs more studies under intermittent stimulation condition, because the intervals between electrical stimulations help recovery of muscle activation level. In this paper, M-waves elicited by double pulses were examined in muscle fatigue evaluation during repetitive movements considering rehabilitation training with surface electrical stimulation. M-waves were measured under the two conditions of repetitivestimulation: knee extension force production under the isometric condition and the dynamic movement condition by knee joint angle control. Amplitude of M-wave elicited by the 2nd pulse of a double pulse decreased during muscle fatigue in both measurement conditions, while the change in M-waves elicited by single pulses in a stimulation burst was not relevant to muscle fatigue in repeated activation with stimulation interval of 1 s. Fatigue index obtained from M-waves elicited by 2nd pulses was suggested to provide good estimation of muscle fatigue during repetitive movements with FES.

a performance benefit. In this study, we tested whether deafferentation induced by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve mirror tracing skills in normal subjects. Hand trajectory error during novel mirror drawing was compared across two groups of subjects that received either 1 Hz r......TMS over the somatosensory cortex contralateral to the hand or sham stimulation. Mirror tracing was more accurate after rTMS than after sham stimulation. Using a position-matching task, we confirmed that rTMS reduced proprioceptive acuity and that this reduction was largest when the coil was placed...

Nanosecond repetitivelypulsed (NRP) spark discharges have been studied in atmospheric pressure air preheated to 1000 K. Measurements of spark initiation and stability, plasma dynamics, gas temperature and current-voltage characteristics of the spark regime are presented. Using 10 ns pulses applied repetitively at 30 kHz, we find that 2-400 pulses are required to initiate the spark, depending on the applied voltage. Furthermore, about 30-50 pulses are required for the spark discharge to reach steady state, following initiation. Based on space- and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy, the spark discharge in steady state is found to ignite homogeneously in the discharge gap, without evidence of an initial streamer. Using measured emission from the N2 (C-B) 0-0 band, it is found that the gas temperature rises by several thousand Kelvin in the span of about 30 ns following the application of the high-voltage pulse. Current-voltage measurements show that up to 20-40 A of conduction current is generated, which corresponds to an electron number density of up to 1015 cm-3 towards the end of the high-voltage pulse. The discharge dynamics, gas temperature and electron number density are consistent with a streamer-less spark that develops homogeneously through avalanche ionization in volume. This occurs because the pre-ionization electron number density of about 1011 cm-3 produced by the high frequency train of pulses is above the critical density for streamer-less discharge development, which is shown to be about 108 cm-3.

A thrust stand calibration technique for use in testing repetitivelypulsed electric thrusters for in-space propulsion has been developed and tested using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand. In the implementation of this technique, current pulses are applied to a solenoid to produce a pulsed magnetic field that acts against a permanent magnet mounted to the thrust stand pendulum arm. The force on the magnet is applied in this non-contact manner, with the entire pulsed force transferred to the pendulum arm through a piezoelectric force transducer to provide a time-accurate force measurement. Modeling of the pendulum arm dynamics reveals that after an initial transient in thrust stand motion the quasi-steady average deflection of the thrust stand arm away from the unforced or "zero" position can be related to the average applied force through a simple linear Hooke's law relationship. Modeling demonstrates that this technique is universally applicable except when the pulsing period is increased to the point where it approaches the period of natural thrust stand motion. Calibration data were obtained using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand previously used for steady-state thrust measurements. Data were obtained for varying impulse bit at constant pulse frequency and for varying pulse frequency. The two data sets exhibit excellent quantitative agreement with each other. The overall error on the linear regression fit used to determine the calibration coefficient was roughly 1%.

We were interested in how continuous painful stimulation which is performed as inurement exercises in some Asian martial arts influences sensory and pain perception. Therefore, we examined 15 Kung Fu disciples before and after a 14 day period with repetitive inurement exercises and measured sensory and pain thresholds and intensities in both the trigeminal and the peripheral (peroneal nerve) region. The results of the probands were compared to those of 15 healthy control subjects who were performing sports without painful stimulation during this period. The probands showed a significantly decreased trigeminal pain intensity after repetitive electrical stimulation whereas the control subjects did not show any changes of sensory or pain perception during the study period. This suggests a change of central sensitisation and inhibitory control mechanisms in the nociceptive spinal or cerebral pathways by inurement exercises. In addition, pain thresholds showed an (not significant) increase after the study period whereas the control subjects showed a significant decrease of pain thresholds. In summary, our pilot study suggests that inurement exercises, i.e. repetitive painful stimulation, over a period of 14 days might induce changes of pain perception resulting in trigeminal pain habituation and higher pain thresholds.

We present a picosecond laser source based on a gain-switched laser diode (GS-LD) that can be applied to stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy. A 1.06-μm GS-LD was used to generate 14-ps pulses at a repetition rate of 38 MHz. The GS-LD was driven by 200-ps electrical pulses, which were triggered through a toggle flip-flop (T-FF). As a result, the GS-LD pulses were subharmonically synchronized to Ti:sapphire laser (TSL) pulses at a repetition rate of 76 MHz. We investigated the timing jitter of GS-LD pulses and found it to be less than 2.5 ps. We also show that the trigger delay can be less sensitive to the optical power of TSL pulses by controlling the threshold voltage of the T-FF. As a result, GS-LD pulses sufficiently overlapped with TSL pulses even when we scanned the wavelength of the TSL pulses. We demonstrate the SRS imaging of HeLa cells with GS-LD pulses and TSL pulses, proving that GS-LD is readily applicable to SRS microscopy as a compact and stable pulse source.

International audience; In atmospheric pressure air preheated from 300 to 1000 K, the nanosecond repetitivelypulsed (NRP) method has been used to generate corona, glow, and spark discharges. Experiments have been performed to determine the parameter space (applied voltage, pulserepetition frequency, ambient gas temperature, and interelectrode gap distance) of each discharge regime. In particular, the experimental conditions necessary for the glow regime of NRP discharges have been determine...

effect of the plasma is to produce active species, which quench to produce O atoms and release heat. The O atoms go on to initiate the fuel oxidation ...strong effect on ignition time for mixtures with MIE larger than the individual pulse energy. Stoichiometric ethylene –air has an MIE of 0.096 mJ... ethylene is so fast with just a single pulse, the effect of additional pulses is not noticeable on the time scale of the present experiments. In addition

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive electrophysiological method to modulate cortical excitability. As such, rTMS can be used in conjunction with conventional physiotherapy or occupational therapy to facilitate rehabilitation of motor function in patients with focal brain lesions. This review summarizes the rationale for using rTMS in the rehabilitation of motor deficits as derived from imaging and electrophysiological studies of the human motor system. rTMS methodology and its various stimulation modalities are introduced and current evidence for rTMS as supportive therapy for the rehabilitation of chronic motor deficits is discussed.

In clinical practice, repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is of particular interest for non-invasive mapping of cortical language areas. Yet, rTMS studies try to detect further cortical functions. Damage to the underlying network of visuospatial attention function can result in visual neglect-a severe neurological deficit and influencing factor for a significantly reduced functional outcome. This investigation aims to evaluate the use of rTMS for evoking visual neglect in healthy volunteers and the potential of specifically locating cortical areas that can be assigned for the function of visuospatial attention. Ten healthy, right-handed subjects underwent rTMS visual neglect mapping. Repetitive trains of 5 Hz and 10 pulses were applied to 52 pre-defined cortical spots on each hemisphere; each cortical spot was stimulated 10 times. Visuospatial attention was tested time-locked to rTMS pulses by a landmark task. Task pictures were displayed tachistoscopically for 50 ms. The subjects' performance was analyzed by video, and errors were referenced to cortical spots. We observed visual neglect-like deficits during the stimulation of both hemispheres. Errors were categorized into leftward, rightward, and no response errors. Rightward errors occurred significantly more often during stimulation of the right hemisphere than during stimulation of the left hemisphere (mean rightward error rate (ER) 1.6 ± 1.3 % vs. 1.0 ± 1.0 %, p = 0.0141). Within the left hemisphere, we observed predominantly leftward errors rather than rightward errors (mean leftward ER 2.0 ± 1.3 % vs. rightward ER 1.0 ± 1.0 %; p = 0.0005). Visual neglect can be elicited non-invasively by rTMS, and cortical areas eloquent for visuospatial attention can be detected. Yet, the correlation of this approach with clinical findings has to be shown in upcoming steps.

This work reports experiment concerning specific applications of implantation of laser-produced ions for production of semiconductor nanocrystals. The investigation was carried out in the IPPLM within the EC STREP `SEMINANO' project. A repetitivepulse laser system of parameters: energy up to 0.8 J in a 3.5 ns-pulse, wavelength of 1.06 μ m, repetition rate of up to 10 Hz, has been employed in these investigations. The characterisation of laser-produced ions was performed with the use of `time-of-flight' ion diagnostics simultaneously with other diagnostic methods in dependence on laser pulse parameters, illumination geometry and target material. The properties of laser-implanted and modified SiO2 layers on sample surface were characterised with the use of different methods (XPS + ASD, Raman spectroscopy, PL spectroscopy) at the Middle East Technological University in Ankara and at the Warsaw University of Technology. The production of the Ge nanocrystallites has been demonstrated for annealed samples prepared in different experimental conditions.

280-fs pedestal-free pulses are generated at average output powers exceeding 100 mW at a repetition rate of 50 GHz by compression of the output of a mode-locked laser diode (MLLD) by use of a pedestal-free pulse compressor (PFPC). The MLLD consists of a monolithically integrated chirped distributed Bragg reflector, a gain section, and an electroabsorption modulator. The PFPC is composed of a dispersion-flattened dispersion-decreasing fiber and a dispersion-flattened dispersion-imbalanced nonlinear optical loop mirror. Frequency modulation for linewidth broadening is used to overcome the power limitation imposed by stimulated Brillouin scattering.

The author performed experiments in order to investigate what biological effect on the bone would be produced by long-term pulsing electromagnetic field (PEMF) systemic stimulation. In some of the mature female rats used as experimental animals, bilateral ovariectomy and right sciatic neurectomy were performed in order to make a model osteoporosis. PEMF stimulation was produced by repetitivepulse burst (RPB) waves at a positive amplitude of 25 mV, negative amplitude of 62.5 mV, burst width of 4.2 ms, pulse width of 230 microseconds and 12 Hz, with the magnetic field strength within a cage being set at 3-10 Gauss. PEMF stimulation over 6 months did not produce any effects on the physiologically aged bones. PEMF stimulation also did not produce any effects on losed cortical bone in osteoporotic hindlegs. On the other hand, an increase of bone volume and bone formation activity was observed in the cancellous bone of osteoporotic hindlegs. These findings suggested that PEMF stimulation exerted a preventive effect against bone loss of osteoporotic hindlegs. Furthermore, an observed increase in bone marrow blood flow seemed to be related with this increase of bone volume and bone formation activity.

Optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers with high average power are possible with novel high-power Yb:YAG amplifiers with kW-level output powers. We demonstrate a compact wavelength-tunable sub-30-fs amplifier with 11.4 W average power with 20.7% pump-to-signal conversion efficiency. For parametric amplification, a beta-barium borate crystal is pumped by a 140 W, 1 ps Yb:YAG InnoSlab amplifier at 3.25 MHz repetition rate. The broadband seed is generated via supercontinuum generation in a YAG crystal.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been shown to significantly improve language function in patients with non-fluent aphasia(1). In this experiment, we demonstrate the administration of low-frequency repetitive TMS (rTMS) to an optimal stimulation site in the right hemisphere in patients with chronic non-fluent aphasia. A battery of standardized language measures is administered in order to assess baseline performance. Patients are subsequently randomized to either receive real rTMS or initial sham stimulation. Patients in the real stimulation undergo a site-finding phase, comprised of a series of six rTMS sessions administered over five days; stimulation is delivered to a different site in the right frontal lobe during each of these sessions. Each site-finding session consists of 600 pulses of 1 Hz rTMS, preceded and followed by a picture-naming task. By comparing the degree of transient change in naming ability elicited by stimulation of candidate sites, we are able to locate the area of optimal response for each individual patient. We then administer rTMS to this site during the treatment phase. During treatment, patients undergo a total of ten days of stimulation over the span of two weeks; each session is comprised of 20 min of 1 Hz rTMS delivered at 90% resting motor threshold. Stimulation is paired with an fMRI-naming task on the first and last days of treatment. After the treatment phase is complete, the language battery obtained at baseline is repeated two and six months following stimulation in order to identify rTMS-induced changes in performance. The fMRI-naming task is also repeated two and six months following treatment. Patients who are randomized to the sham arm of the study undergo sham site-finding, sham treatment, fMRI-naming studies, and repeat language testing two months after completing sham treatment. Sham patients then cross over into the real stimulation arm, completing real site-finding, real treatment, fMRI, and two- and six

We report on an environmentally stable, Yb-doped, all-normal dispersion, mode-locked fibre laser that is capable of creating broadband pulses with ultra-low repetition rates. Specifically, through careful positioning of fibre sections in an all-PM-fibre cavity mode-locked with a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror, we achieve stable pulse trains with repetition rates as low as 506 kHz. The pulses have several nanojules of energy and are compressible down to ultrashort (< 500 fs) durations.

A thrust stand calibration technique for use in testing repetitively-pulsed electric thrusters for in-space propulsion has been developed and tested using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand. In the implementation of this technique, current pulses are applied to a solenoidal coil to produce a pulsed magnetic field that acts against the magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet mounted to the thrust stand pendulum arm. The force on the magnet is applied in this non-contact manner, with the entire pulsed force transferred to the pendulum arm through a piezoelectric force transducer to provide a time-accurate force measurement. Modeling of the pendulum arm dynamics reveals that after an initial transient in thrust stand motion the quasisteady average deflection of the thrust stand arm away from the unforced or zero position can be related to the average applied force through a simple linear Hooke s law relationship. Modeling demonstrates that this technique is universally applicable except when the pulsing period is increased to the point where it approaches the period of natural thrust stand motion. Calibration data were obtained using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand previously used for steady-state thrust measurements. Data were obtained for varying impulse bit at constant pulse frequency and for varying pulse frequency. The two data sets exhibit excellent quantitative agreement with each other as the constant relating average deflection and average thrust match within the errors on the linear regression curve fit of the data. Quantitatively, the error on the calibration coefficient is roughly 1% of the coefficient value.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) at frequencies lower than 5 Hz transiently inhibits the stimulated area. In healthy participants, such a protocol can induce a transient attentional bias to the visual hemifield ipsilateral to the stimulated hemisphere. This bias might be due to a relatively less active stimulated hemisphere and a relatively more active unstimulated hemisphere. In a previous study, Jin and Hilgetag (2008) tried to switch the attention bias from the hemifield ipsilateral to the hemifield contralateral to the stimulated hemisphere by applying high frequency rTMS. High frequency rTMS has been shown to excite, rather than inhibit, the stimulated brain area. However, the bias to the ipsilateral hemifield was still present. The participants' performance decreased when stimuli were presented in the hemifield contralateral to the stimulation site. In the present study we tested if this unexpected result was related to the fact that participants were passively resting during stimulation rather than performing a task. Using a fully crossed factorial design, we compared the effects of high frequency rTMS applied during a visual detection task and high frequency rTMS during passive rest on the subsequent offline performance in the same detection task. Our results were mixed. After sham stimulation, performance was better after rest than after task. After active 10 Hz rTMS, participants' performance was overall better after task than after rest. However, this effect did not reach statistical significance. The comparison of performance after rTMS with task and performance after sham stimulation with task showed that 10 Hz stimulation significantly improved performance in the whole visual field. Thus, although we found a trend to better performance after rTMS with task than after rTMS during rest, we could not reject the hypothesis that high frequency rTMS with task and high frequency rTMS during rest

Full Text Available Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC at frequencies lower than 5 Hz transiently inhibits the stimulated area. In healthy participants, such a protocol can induce a transient attentional bias to the visual hemifield ipsilateral to the stimulated hemisphere. This bias might be due to a relatively less active stimulated hemisphere and a relatively more active unstimulated hemisphere. In a previous study, Jin and Hilgetag (2008 tried to switch the attention bias from the hemifield ipsilateral to the hemifield contralateral to the stimulated hemisphere by applying high frequency rTMS. High frequency rTMS has been shown to excite, rather than inhibit, the stimulated brain area. However, the bias to the ipsilateral hemifield was still present. The participants' performance decreased when stimuli were presented in the hemifield contralateral to the stimulation site. In the present study we tested if this unexpected result was related to the fact that participants were passively resting during stimulation rather than performing a task. Using a fully crossed factorial design, we compared the effects of high frequency rTMS applied during a visual detection task and high frequency rTMS during passive rest on the subsequent offline performance in the same detection task. Our results were mixed. After sham stimulation, performance was better after rest than after task. After active 10 Hz rTMS, participants' performance was overall better after task than after rest. However, this effect did not reach statistical significance. The comparison of performance after rTMS with task and performance after sham stimulation with task showed that 10 Hz stimulation significantly improved performance in the whole visual field. Thus, although we found a trend to better performance after rTMS with task than after rTMS during rest, we could not reject the hypothesis that high frequency rTMS with task and high frequency r

The effect of repetition rate on a nanosecond atmospheric pressure discharge is investigated. The discharge is generated between two pins in a mixture of Ne and Ar. The voltage, current, power waveforms and the temporally and spatially resolved electron density and an ‘effective’ electron temperature are measured, with a pulse interval between 1.5 and 200 µs. It is found that not only does the repetition rate have a strong influence on the breakdown voltage and the peak discharge power, but it can also affect the rise rate of the volume averaged electron density and its peak value. Temporally and spatially resolved measurement of the electron density and the effective electron temperature show that the spatial distributions of both quantities are also influenced by the repetition rate. In the initial discharge period of all cases, the sharp rise of the electron density correlates with the drastic drop of the effective electron temperature. It is suggested that the residual charges have a strong impact on the axial distribution of the electric field and energetic electrons between the electrodes during the breakdown period, as illustrated by a simple sheath model.

Full Text Available Motoneurons receive a barrage of inputs from descending and reflex pathways. Much of our understanding about how these inputs are transformed into motor output in humans has come from recordings of single motor units during voluntary contractions. This approach, however, is limited because the input is ill-defined. Herein, we quantify the discharge of soleus motor units in response to well-defined trains of afferent input delivered at physiologically-relevant frequencies. Constant frequency stimulation of the tibial nerve (10-100 Hz for 30 s, below threshold for eliciting M-waves or H-reflexes with a single pulse, recruited motor units in 7/9 subjects. All 25 motor units recruited during stimulation were also recruited during weak (<10% MVC voluntary contractions. Higher frequencies recruited more units (n=3/25 at 10 Hz; n=25/25 at 100 Hz at shorter latencies (19.4±9.4 s at 10 Hz; 4.1±4.0 s at 100 Hz than lower frequencies. When a second unit was recruited, the discharge of the already active unit did not change, suggesting that recruitment was not due to increased synaptic drive. After recruitment, mean discharge rate during stimulation at 20 Hz (7.8 Hz was lower than during 30 Hz (8.6 Hz and 40 Hz (8.4 Hz stimulation. Discharge was largely asynchronous from the stimulus pulses with time-locked discharge occurring at an H-reflex latency with only a 24% probability. Motor units discharged after the stimulation ended in 89% of trials, although at a lower rate (5.8 Hz than during the stimulation (7.9 Hz. This work supports the idea that the afferent volley evoked by repetitivestimulation recruits motor units through the integration of synaptic drive and intrinsic properties of motoneurons, resulting in physiological recruitment which adheres to Henneman's size principle and results in relatively low discharge rates and asynchronous firing.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that can produce lasting changes in excitability and activity in cortical regions underneath the stimulation coil (local effect), but also within functionally connected cortical or subcortical regions (remote effects). Since the clinical presentation of Parkinson's disease (PD) is related to abnormal neuronal activity within the basal ganglia and cortical regions, including the primary motor cortex, the premotor cortex and the prefrontal cortex, several studies have used rTMS to improve brain function in PD. Here, we review the studies that have investigated the possible therapeutic effects of rTMS on mood and motor function in PD patients. We highlight some methodological inconsistencies and problems, including the difficulty to define the most effective protocol for rTMS or to establish an appropriate placebo condition. We finally propose future directions of research that may help to improve the therapeutic efficacy of rTMS in PD.

Full Text Available Dystonia is characterized by abnormal posturing due to sustained muscle contraction, which leads to pain and significant disability. New therapeutic targets are needed in this disorder. The objective of this randomized, sham-controlled, blinded exploratory study is to identify a specific motor system target for non-invasive neuromodulation and to evaluate this target in terms of safety and tolerability in the cervical dystonia (CD population. Eight CD subjects were given 15-minute sessions of low-frequency (0.2 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS over the primary motor cortex (MC, dorsal premotor cortex (dPM, supplementary motor area (SMA, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC and a sham condition with each session separated by at least two days. The Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS score was rated in a blinded fashion immediately pre- and post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included physiology and tolerability ratings. The mean change in TWSTRS severity score by site was 0.25 ± 1.7 (ACC, -2.9 ± 3.4 (dPM, -3.0 ± 4.8 (MC, -0.5 ± 1.1 (SHAM, and -1.5 ± 3.2 (SMA with negative numbers indicating improvement in symptom control. TWSTRS scores decreased from Session 1 (15.1 ± 5.1 to Session 5 (11.0 ± 7.6. The treatment was tolerable and safe. Physiology data were acquired on 6 of 8 subjects and showed no change over time. These results suggest rTMS can modulate CD symptoms. Both dPM and MC are areas to be targeted in further rTMS studies. The improvement in TWSTRS scores over time with multiple rTMS sessions deserves further evaluation.

Research on aging characteristics of epoxy resin (EP) under repetitive microsecond pulses is important for the design of insulating materials in high power apparatus. It is because that very fast transient overvoltage always occurs in a power system, which causes flashover and is one of the main factors causing aging effects of EP materials. Therefore, it is essential to obtain a better understanding of the aging effect on an EP surface resulting from flashover. In this work, aging effects on an EP surface were investigated by surface flashover discharge under repetitive microsecond pulses in atmospheric pressure. The investigations of parameters such as the surface micro-morphology and chemical composition of the insulation material under different degrees of aging were conducted with the aid of measurement methods such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results showed that with the accumulation of aging energy on the material surface, the particles formed on the material surface increased both in number and size, leading to the growth of surface roughness and a reduction in the water contact angle; the surface also became more absorbent. Furthermore, in the aging process, the molecular chains of EP on the surface were broken, resulting in oxidation and carbonisation. supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (No. E2015502081), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51222701, 51307060), and the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2014CB239505-3)

In atmospheric pressure air preheated from 300 to 1000 K, the Nanosecond RepetitivelyPulsed (NRP) method has been used to generate corona, glow, and spark discharges. Experiments have been performed to determine the parameter space (applied voltage, pulserepetition frequency, ambient gas temperature, and inter-electrode gap distance) of each discharge regime. Notably, there is a minimum gap distance for the existence of the glow regime that increases with decreasing gas temperature. A theory is developed to describe the Corona-to-Glow (C-G) and Glow-to-Spark (G-S) transitions for NRP discharges. The C-G transition is shown to depend on the Avalanche-to-Streamer Transition (AST) as well as the electric field strength in the positive column. The G-S transition is due to the thermal ionization instability. The minimum gap distance for the existence of the glow regime can be understood by considering that the applied voltage of the AST must be lower than that of the thermal ionization instability. This is a previously unknown criterion for generating glow discharges, as it does not correspond to the Paschen minimum or to the Meek-Raether criterion.

Full Text Available This paper describes the implementation of an improved clutter suppression method for the multiple pulserepetition time (PRT technique based on simulated radar data. The suppression method is constructed using maximum likelihood methodology in time domain and is called parametric time domain method (PTDM. The procedure relies on the assumption that precipitation and clutter signal spectra follow a Gaussian functional form. The multiple interleaved pulserepetition frequencies (PRFs that are used in this work are set to four PRFs (952, 833, 667, and 513 Hz. Based on radar simulation, it is shown that the new method can provide accurate retrieval of Doppler velocity even in the case of strong clutter contamination. The obtained velocity is nearly unbiased for all the range of Nyquist velocity interval. Also, the performance of the method is illustrated on simulated radar data for plan position indicator (PPI scan. Compared with staggered 2-PRT transmission schemes with PTDM, the proposed method presents better estimation accuracy under certain clutter situations.

Full Text Available Abstract In this study, MHz pulserepetition rate femtosecond laser-irradiated gold-coated silicon surfaces under ambient condition were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS. The radiation fluence used was 0.5 J/cm2 at a pulserepetition rate of 25 MHz with 1 ms interaction time. SEM analysis of the irradiated surfaces showed self-assembled intermingled weblike nanofibrous structure in and around the laser-irradiated spots. Further TEM investigation on this nanostructure revealed that the nanofibrous structure is formed due to aggregation of Au-Si/Si nanoparticles. The XRD peaks at 32.2°, 39.7°, and 62.5° were identified as (200, (211, and (321 reflections, respectively, corresponding to gold silicide. In addition, the observed chemical shift of Au 4f and Si 2p lines in XPS spectrum of the irradiated surface illustrated the presence of gold silicide at the irradiated surface. The generation of Si/Au-Si alloy fibrous nanoparticles aggregate is explained by the nucleation and subsequent condensation of vapor in the plasma plume during irradiation and expulsion of molten material due to high plasma pressure.

A high repetition rate, highly efficient, Q-switched 2-micron laser system as the transmitter of a coherent differential absorption lidar for CO2 measurement has been developed at NASA Langley Research Center. Such a laser transmitter is a master-slave laser system. The master laser operates in a single frequency, either on-line or off-line of a selected CO2 absorption line. The slave laser is a Q-switched ring-cavity Ho:YLF laser which is pumped by a Tm:fiber laser. The repetition rate can be adjusted from a few hundred Hz to 10 kHz. The injection seeding success rate is from 99.4% to 99.95%. For 1 kHz operation, the output pulse energy is 5.5mJ with the pulse length of approximately 50 ns. The optical-to-optical efficiency is 39% when the pump power is 14.5W. The measured standard deviation of the laser frequency jitter is about 3 MHz.

A fast repetitive multi-pulse Edge Thomson Scattering system is in operation since March 2006 and provides a sophisticated tool for the study of transport processes in the edge region of the tokamak TEXTOR. The specially designed viewing optics enables the study of the dynamics of fast plasma phenomena with high spatial resolution at the plasma edge. Various measurements under different plasma conditions were performed where the influence of resonant magnetic perturbations generated by the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor on fast electron transport in the edge region was a point of emphasis. The electron density and temperature profiles obtained are compared with other edge diagnostics based on different measuring principles. The system utilizes a ruby laser delivering bursts of 15 pulses each with a pulse energy of about 15 J. The TEXTOR plasma itself is inside the laser cavity where the double-pass system allows high laser energies of each laser pulse through the plasma. The edge system (170 mm) has 98 spatial channels of 1.7 mm each. The lower detection limit of the edge system for T{sub e} is observed to be 30 eV.

A fast repetitive multi-pulse Edge Thomson Scattering system is in operation since March 2006 and provides a sophisticated tool for the study of transport processes in the edge region of the tokamak TEXTOR. The specially designed viewing optics enables the study of the dynamics of fast plasma phenomena with high spatial resolution at the plasma edge. Various measurements under different plasma conditions were performed where the influence of resonant magnetic perturbations generated by the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor on fast electron transport in the edge region was a point of emphasis. The electron density and temperature profiles obtained will be compared with other edge diagnostics based on different measuring principles. The system utilizes a ruby laser delivering bursts of 15 pulses each with a pulse energy of about 15 J. The TEXTOR plasma itself is inside the laser cavity where the double-pass system allows high laser energies of each laser pulse through the plasma. The new edge system (170 mm) has 98 spatial channels of 1.7 mm each. The lower detection limit of the edge system for T{sub e} is observed to be 30 eV.

The management of higher brain dysfunctions such as stroke-induced unilateral spatial neglect (USN) or aphasia is crucial because these dysfunctions have devastating neurological repercussions on the patients' daily life and quality of life. Impairment of the physiological interhemispheric rivalry is often the result of brain insults such as strokes or traumatic injuries, and it may lead to USN or aphasia. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation method, is a promising tool for restoring the pathological imbalance in interhemispheric rivalry by either suppressing the hyperactivity of the unaffected hemisphere or facilitating hypoactivity in the affected hemisphere. The concept of paradoxical functional facilitation (Kapur, 1996) has important clinical implications when coupled with rTMS applications. In addition to conventional rTMS (c-rTMS), other clinically relevant protocols of patterned rTMS (p-rTMS) have been developed: the theta burst stimulation (TBS), the paired associative stimulation (PAS), and the quadripulse stimulation (QPS). TBS is commonly used in the rehabilitation of patients with post-stroke USN and those with non-fluent aphasia because of its prolonged beneficial effects and the short duration of stimulation. TBS may be considered an effective and safe protocol of rTMS. We foresee broader clinical applications of p-rTMS (TBS) and c-rTMS in the treatment of various neurological deficits.

A 57-year-old man who was diagnosed with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome showed severe impairment of cognitive function and a craving for alcohol, even after sufficient supplementation with thiamine. After completing 10 sessions of 10 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at 100% of the resting motor threshold over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dramatic improvement in cognitive function and a reduction in craving for alcohol were noted. This is the first case report of the efficacy of a high-frequency rTMS in the treatment of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

A 57-year-old man who was diagnosed with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome showed severe impairment of cognitive function and a craving for alcohol, even after sufficient supplementation with thiamine. After completing 10 sessions of 10 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at 100% of the resting motor threshold over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dramatic improvement in cognitive function and a reduction in craving for alcohol were noted. This is the first case report of the efficacy of a high-frequency rTMS in the treatment of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. PMID:28289650

In both clinical and animal studies, it has been shown that repetitive short laser pulses can cause selective retinal pigment epithelium damage (RPE) with sparing of photoreceptors. Our purpose was to determine the ophthalmoscopic and angiographic damage thresholds as a function of pulse durations by using different pulsed laser systems to optimize treatment modalities. Chinchilla-breed rabbits were narcotized and placed in a special holding system. Laser lesions were applied using a commercial laser slit lamp, contact lens, and irradiation with a frequency-doubled Nd:YLF laser (wave-length: 527 nm; repetition rate: 500 Hz; number of pulses: 100; pulse duration: 5 micros, 1.7 micros, 200 ns) and an argon-ion laser (514 nm, 500 Hz, 100 pulses, 5 micros and 200 ms). In all eyes, spots with different energies were placed into the regio macularis with a diameter of 102 microm (tophat profile). After treatment, fundus photography and fluorescein angiography were performed and radiant exposure for ED50 damage determined. Speckle measurements at the fiber tips were performed to determine intensity peaks in the beam profile. Using the Nd:YLF laser system, the ophthalmoscopic ED50 threshold energies were 25.4 microJ (5 micros), 32 microJ (1.7 micros), and 30 microJ (200 ns). The angiographic ED50 thresholds were 13.4 microJ (5 micros), 9.2 microJ (1.7 micros), and 6.7 microJ (200 ns). With the argon laser, the angiographic threshold for 5 micros pulses was 5.5 microJ. The ophthalmoscopic threshold could not be determined because of a lack of power; however, it was > 12 microJ. For 200 ms, the ED50 radiant exposures were 20.4 mW ophthalmoscopically and 19.2 mW angiographically. Speckle factors were found to be 1.225 for the Nd:YLF and 3.180 for the argon laser. Thus, the maximal ED50 -threshold radiant exposures for the Nd:YLF were calculated to be 362 mJ/cM2 (5 micros), 478 mJ/cm2 (1.7 micros), and 438 mJ/cm2 (200 ns) ophthalmoscopically. Angiographically, the thresholds

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a promising technique that modulates neural networks. However, there were few studies evaluating the effects of rTMS in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Herein, we assessed the effectiveness of rTMS on behavioral recovery and metabolic changes using brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in a rat model of TBI. We also evaluated the safety of rTMS by measuring brain swelling with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent lateral fluid percussion and were randomly assigned to the sham (n=10) or the rTMS (n=10) group. rTMS was applied on the fourth day after TBI and consisted of 10 daily sessions for 2 weeks with 10 Hz frequency (total pulses=3,000). Although the rTMS group showed an anti-apoptotic effect around the peri-lesional area, functional improvements were not significantly different between the two groups. Additionally, rTMS did not modulate brain metabolites in MRS, nor was there any change of brain lesion or edema after magnetic stimulation. These data suggest that rTMS did not have beneficial effects on motor recovery during early stages of TBI, although an anti-apoptosis was observed in the peri-lesional area.

Full Text Available This study examined whether a single session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS of the left prefrontal cortex would inhibit food cravings in healthy women who endorsed frequent food cravings. Ten participants viewed images of food and completed ratings for food cravings before and after receiving either real or sham rTMS over the left prefrontal cortex (10Hz, 100% rMT, 10 seconds-on, 20 seconds-off for 15 minutes; 3000 pulses. Sham TMS was matched with real TMS with respect to perceived painfulness of the stimulation. Each participant received both real and sham rTMS in random order and were blind to the condition in a within-subject cross-over design. With an improved sham control condition, prefrontal rTMS inhibited food cravings no better than sham rTMS. The mild pain from the real and sham rTMS may distract or inhibit food craving, and the decreased craving may not be caused by the effect of rTMS itself. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether rTMS has any true effects on food craving and whether painful stimuli inhibit food or other cravings. A sham condition which matches the painfulness is important to understand the true effects of TMS on behaviors and diseases.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a technology that stimulates neurons with rapidly changing magnetic pulses with demonstrated therapeutic applications for various neuropsychiatric disorders. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a suitable tool to assess rTMS-evoked brain responses without interference from the magnetic or electric fields generated by the TMS coil. We have previously reported a channel-wise study of combined rTMS/fNIRS on the motor and prefrontal cortices, showing a robust decrease of oxygenated hemoglobin concentration (Δ[HbO2]) at the sites of 1-Hz rTMS and the contralateral brain regions. However, the reliability of this putative clinical tool is unknown. In this study, we develop a rapid optical topography approach to spatially characterize the rTMS-evoked hemodynamic responses on a standard brain atlas. A hemispherical approximation of the brain is employed to convert the three-dimensional topography on the complex brain surface to a two-dimensional topography in the spherical coordinate system. The test-retest reliability of the combined rTMS/fNIRS is assessed using repeated measurements performed two to three days apart. The results demonstrate that the Δ[HbO2] amplitudes have moderate-to-high reliability at the group level; and the spatial patterns of the topographic images have high reproducibility in size and a moderate degree of overlap at the individual level.

Previous studies demonstrated functional abnormalities in the somatosensory system, including a distorted functional organization of the somatosensory cortex (S1) in patients with writer's cramp. We tested the hypothesis that these functional alterations render S1 of these patients more susceptible to the "inhibitory" effects of subthreshold 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) given to S1. Seven patients with writer's cramp and eight healthy subjects were studied. Patients also received rTMS to the motor cortex hand area (M1). As an outcome measure, short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI) was tested. SAI was studied in the relaxed first dorsal interosseous muscle using conditioning electrical stimulation of the index finger and TMS pulses over the contralateral M1. Baseline SAI did not differ between groups. S1 but not M1 rTMS reduced SAI in patients. rTMS had no effects on SAI in healthy subjects. Because SAI is mediated predominantly at a cortical level in the sensorimotor cortex, we conclude that there is an abnormal responsiveness of this area to 1 Hz rTMS in writer's cramp, which may represent a trait toward maladaptive plasticity in the sensorimotor system in these patients.

High energy densities, as required both in research and in industry, are achieved by the use of lasers. Extremely highpower densities are obtained in the pulsed mode with short microsecond(s) -, ns-, or even ultrashort ps- to fs- pulses. The interaction of such powerful laser pulses with any type of solid state, liquid or gaseous materials is then causing rapidly developing, nonstationary, optically nonlinear processes. Experimental investigations of these effects are therefore requiring special measuring techniques with high spatial and temporal resolution. Optical and optronical methods have proven to be particularly useful. Methods based on laser diagnostics, including high speed photography, cinematography, speckle techniques, holography, videography, infrared techniques or arbitrary combinations of these, are therefore considered to be important tools in these laser effect studies. The investigations reported in the present paper are referring to carbon dioxide-laser effects in intensity ranges which are useful for many industrial applications, such as for example in the field of material processing. Basic interest is actually in pulsed, plasma sustained laser target interaction phenomena which occur above critical threshold power densities, specific for each type of material. Surface induced, highly ionized absorption waves are then determining the energy transfer from the coherent laser radiation field towards the targets. The experiments at ISL were aimed at investigating plasma parameters and their influence on the energy transfer rates, by fast optical, electrical and optronical techniques, such as mentioned above. The results to be discussed refer to target effects, basically observed on optically transparent materials, subject to high average power pulsed carbon dioxide-laser radiation, with repetition rates of several tens to hundred pps at multi-MW/cm2 to GW/cm2 peak power densities and average power densities in the multi-kW/cm2-range.

A novel and simple method to generate low timing jitter and discrete tunable dual-wavelength optical pulses at arbitrary repetition rates is demonstrated in this paper.Two multiple quantum wells distributed feedback laser diodes,were used as the external seeding sources to inject the external photons into a gain-switched Fabry-Perot laser diode.The output wavelengths can be tuned discretely to coincide with any two lasing modes in the gain spectra range of the Fabry-Perot Laser diode,and the output side mode suppression ratio was better than 25 dB.Moreover,the timing jitter of optical pulses was reduced from 1.89 ps to 0.83 ps.It was empirically found that the lowest timing jitter operation occurred when the injected light wavelength is 0.2-0.3 nm shorter than the locked mode of the Fabry-Perot laser diode.To our knowledge,this is the first report of using two DFB laser diodes as a seeding source to reduce pulses jitter and select lasing dual-wavelength simultaneously.

Electra is a repetitivelypulsed, electron beam pumped Krypton Fluoride (KrF) laser at the Naval Research Laboratory that is developing the technologies that can meet the Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) requirements for durability, efficiency, and cost. The technologies developed on Electra should be directly scalable to a full size fusion power plant beam line. As in a full size fusion power plant beam line, Electra is a multistage laser amplifier system which, consists of a commercial discharge laser (LPX 305i, Lambda Physik), 175 keV electron beam pumped (40 ns flat-top) preamplifier, and 530 keV (100 ns flat-top) main amplifier. Angular multiplexing is used in the optical layout to provide pulse length control and to maximize laser extraction from the amplifiers. Single shot yield of 452 J has been extracted from the initial shots of the Electra laser system using a relatively low energy preamplifier laser beam. In rep-rate burst of 5 Hz for durations of one second a total energy of 1.585 kJ (average 317 J/pulse) has been attained. Total energy of 2.5 kJ has been attained over a two second period. For comparison, the main amplifier of Electra in oscillator mode has demonstrated at 2.5 Hz rep-rate average laser yield of 270 J over a 2 hour period.

Full Text Available Background. Parkinson disease (PD is characterized by hypometric movements resulting from loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. PD leads to decreased activation of the supplementary motor area (SMA; the net result of these changes is a poverty of movement. The present study determined the impact of 5 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS over the SMA on a fine motor movement, handwriting (writing cursive “l”s, and on cortical excitability, in individuals with PD. Methods. In a cross-over design, ten individuals with PD were randomized to receive either 5 Hz or control stimulation over the SMA. Immediately following brain stimulation right handed writing was assessed. Results. 5 Hz stimulation increased vertical size of handwriting and diminished axial pressure. In addition, 5 Hz rTMS significantly decreased the threshold for excitability in the primary motor cortex. Conclusions. These data suggest that in the short term 5 Hz rTMS benefits functional fine motor task performance, perhaps by altering cortical excitability across a network of brain regions. Further, these data may provide the foundation for a larger investigation of the effects of noninvasive brain stimulation over the SMA in individuals with PD.

Full Text Available We have developed a real-time terahertz time-domain polarization analyzer by using 80-MHz repetition-rate femtosecond laser pulses. Our technique is based on the spinning electro-optic sensor method, which we recently proposed and demonstrated by using a regenerative amplifier laser system; here we improve the detection scheme in order to be able to use it with a femtosecond laser oscillator with laser pulses of a much higher repetition rate. This improvement brings great advantages for realizing broadband, compact and stable real-time terahertz time-domain polarization measurement systems for scientific and industrial applications.

We have developed a real-time terahertz time-domain polarization analyzer by using 80-MHz repetition-rate femtosecond laser pulses. Our technique is based on the spinning electro-optic sensor method, which we recently proposed and demonstrated by using a regenerative amplifier laser system; here we improve the detection scheme in order to be able to use it with a femtosecond laser oscillator with laser pulses of a much higher repetition rate. This improvement brings great advantages for realizing broadband, compact and stable real-time terahertz time-domain polarization measurement systems for scientific and industrial applications.

Repetition suppression (RS) is evident as a weakened response to repeated stimuli after the initial response. RS has been demonstrated in motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) induced with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Here, we investigated the effect of inter-train interval (ITI) on the induction of RS of MEPs with the attempt to optimize the investigative protocols. Trains of TMS pulses, targeted to the primary motor cortex by neuronavigation, were applied at a stimulation intensity of 120% of the resting motor threshold. The stimulus trains included either four or twenty pulses with an inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of 1 s. The ITI was here defined as the interval between the last pulse in a train and the first pulse in the next train; the ITIs used here were 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, and 17 s. RS was observed with all ITIs except with the ITI of 1 s, in which the ITI was equal to ISI. RS was more pronounced with longer ITIs. Shorter ITIs may not allow sufficient time for a return to baseline. RS may reflect a startle-like response to the first pulse of a train followed by habituation. Longer ITIs may allow more recovery time and in turn demonstrate greater RS. Our results indicate that RS can be studied with confidence at relatively short ITIs of 6 s and above.

A novel transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device with controllable pulse width (PW) and near rectangular pulse shape (cTMS) is described. The cTMS device uses an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) with appropriate snubbers to switch coil currents up to 7 kA, enabling PW control from 5 μs to over 100 μs. The near-rectangular induced electric field pulses use 22–34% less energy and generate 67–72% less coil heating compared to matched conventional cosine pulses. CTMS is used to stimulate rhesus monkey motor cortex in vivo with PWs of 20 to 100 μs, demonstrating the expected decrease of threshold pulse amplitude with increasing PW. The technological solutions used in the cTMS prototype can expand functionality, and reduce power consumption and coil heating in TMS, enhancing its research and therapeutic applications. PMID:18232369

Improvement of polytetrafluoroethylene surface energy by non-thermal plasma treatment is presented, using a nanosecond-positive-edge repetitivepulsed dielectric barrier discharge generator in atmospheric air. The electrical parameters including discharging power, peak and density of micro-discharge current were calculated, and the electron energy was estimated. Surface treatment experiments of polytetrafluoroethylene films were conducted for both different applied voltages and different treating durations. Results show that the surface energy of polytetrafluoroethylene film could be improved to 40 mJ/m2 or more by plasma treatment. Surface roughness measurement and surface X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicate that there are chemical etching and implantation of polar oxygen groups in the sample surface treating process, resulting in the improvement of the sample surface energy. Compared with an AC source of 50 Hz, the dielectric barrier discharges generated by a repetitivepulsed source could provide higher peak power, lower mean power, larger micro-discharge current density and higher electron energy. Therefore, with the same applied peak voltage and treating duration, the improvement of polytetrafluoroethylene surface energy using repetitivepulsed plasma is more effective, and the plasma treatment process based on repetitivepulsed dielectric barrier discharges in air is thus feasible and applicable.

A high power picosecond pulsed Yb fiber amplifier with a pulserepetition rate of 3.7 GHz is experimentally demonstrated. The seed is a gain switched distributed Bragg reflection (DBR) structured laser diode (LD) with a pulse duration of 130 ps and a repetition rate of 460 MHz. The pulserepetition rate is increased to 3.7 GHz by introducing an all-fiber multiplier, which is composed of four 2 × 2 structured fiber couplers. The multiplied pulse train is amplified to 81 W through two stage Yb fiber amplifiers.

Neuroimaging findings, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) interference, point to an engagement of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in learning and memory. Whether parietal cortex (PC) activity is causally linked to successful episodic encoding and retrieval is still uncertain. We compared the effects of event-related active or sham rTMS (a rapid-rate train coincident to the very first phases of memoranda presentation) to the left or right intraparietal sulcus, during a standardized episodic memory task of visual scenes, with those obtained in a fully matched sample of subjects who received rTMS on left or right dorsolateral PFC during the same task. In these subjects, specific hemispheric effects of rTMS included interference with encoding after left stimulation and disruption of retrieval after right stimulation. The interference of PC-rTMS on encoding/retrieval performance was negligible, lacking specificity even when higher intensities of stimulation were applied. However, right PC-rTMS of the same intensity lengthened reaction times in the context of a purely attentive visuospatial task. These results suggest that the activity of intraparietal sulci shown in several functional magnetic resonance studies on memory, unlike that of the dorsolateral PFC, is not causally engaged to a useful degree in memory encoding and retrieval of visual scenes. The parietal activations accompanying the memorization processes could reflect the engagement of a widespread brain attentional network, in which interference on a single 'node' is insufficient for an overt disruption of memory performance.

The primary motor cortex (M1) is an effective target of non-invasive cortical stimulation (NICS) for pain threshold modulation. It has been suggested that the initial level of cortical excitability of M1 plays a key role in the plastic effects of NICS. Here we investigate whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) primed 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) modulates experimental pressure pain thresholds and if this is related to observed alterations in cortical excitability. 15 healthy, male participants received 10 min 1 mA anodal, cathodal and sham tDCS to the left M1 before 15 min 1 Hz rTMS in separate sessions over a period of 3 weeks. Motor cortical excitability was recorded at baseline, post-tDCS priming and post-rTMS through recording motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from right FDI muscle. Pressure pain thresholds were determined by quantitative sensory testing (QST) through a computerized algometer, on the palmar thenar of the right hand pre- and post-stimulation. Cathodal tDCS-primed 1 Hz-rTMS was found to reverse the expected suppressive effect of 1 Hz rTMS on cortical excitability; leading to an overall increase in activity (p<0.001) with a parallel increase in pressure pain thresholds (p<0.01). In contrast, anodal tDCS-primed 1 Hz-rTMS resulted in a corresponding decrease in cortical excitability (p<0.05), with no significant effect on pressure pain. This study demonstrates that priming the M1 before stimulation of 1 Hz-rTMS modulates experimental pressure pain thresholds in a safe and controlled manner, producing a form of analgesia.

We report the experiments on the optical breakdown and filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses propagating in air at a kHz repetition rate and with several hundreds micro-joule-energy. A 10m-long filament and its breakup and merging at the nonlinear focal region produced by modulational instability of femtosecond laser pulses in air are observed. A simple model based on the nonlinear Schrodinger equation coupled with multiphoton ionization law is presented to explain the several experimental results.

Full Text Available Background: Almost 20% of epileptics are drug resistant. Studies have shown that low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS is with therapeutic effects on epilepsy-affected laboratory models. Anticonvulsant effects of rTMS depend on several parameters among which radiation frequency is the most important one. In this study, the therapeutic impacts of 1 and 2 Hz rTMS on convulsing parameters in epileptic model of electrical kindling stimulation of the perforant path were investigated. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study 21 rats were randomly divided into three groups, namely ‘1 Hz treatment group’ and ‘2 Hz treatment group’ and ‘kindling group’. The kindling group only received kindling stimulations for seven days. One Hz and 2 Hz frequency treatment groups received maximally 5 min rTMS after termination of kindling stimulation per day for a week. Stimulation and stability electrodes had been placed, in turn, on perforant path and dentate gyrus. For quantifying the duration of the subsequent discharge waves, two-way ANOVA test and Bonferroni post-test were employed. In addition, for quantifying the convulsive behaviors, Kruskal-Wallis and the Mann-Whitney U tests were used. Results: The results showed that 1 Hz and 2 Hz frequency rTMS have considerable inhibitory impact on the development of convulsive phases. Anticonvulsive effect was observed from the first day after rTMS was undertaken. In addition, the animals did not show fourth and fifth convulsive stages, and a significant reduction was evident in their recorded peak discharge waves compared with kindle group. Conclusion: Low frequency rTMS possesses significant anticonvulsive effects which depend upon sTMS stimulation frequency.

Several kinds of Near-Earth objects exist for which one would like to cause modest orbit perturbations, but which are inaccessible to normal means of interception because of their number, distance or the lack of early warning. For these objects, LISP (Laser Impulse Space Propulsion) is an appropriate technique for rapidly applying the required mechanical impulse from a ground-based station. In order of increasing laser energy required, examples are: (1) repositioning specially prepared geosynchronous satellites for an enhanced lifetime; (2) causing selected items of space junk to re-enter and burn up in the atmosphere on a computed trajectory; and (3) safely deflecting Earth-directed comet nuclei and earth-crossing asteroids (ECA's) a few tens of meters in size (the most hazardous size). They will discuss each of these problems in turn and show that each application is best matched by its own matrix of LISP laser pulse width, pulserepetition rate, wavelength and average power. The latter ranges from 100W to 3GW for the cases considered. They will also discuss means of achieving the active beam phase error correction during passage through the atmosphere and very large exit pupil in the optical system which are required in each of these cases.

A comparison between a Fabry-Pérot etalon filter and a conventional grating filter for producing the picosecond (ps) Raman pump pulses for femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) is presented. It is shown that for pulses of equal energy the etalon filter produces Raman signals twice as large as that of the grating filter while suppressing the electronically resonant background signal. The time asymmetric profile of the etalon-generated pulse is shown to be responsible for both of these observations. A theoretical discussion is presented which quantitatively supports this hypothesis. It is concluded that etalons are the ideal method for the generation of narrowband ps pulses for FSRS because of the optical simplicity, efficiency, improved FSRS intensity and reduced backgrounds.

The energy and spectral-temporal characteristics of a Fe : ZnSe laser operating in pulsed and repetitivelypulsed regimes are studied at room temperature of the polycrystalline active element. The crystal was pumped by a nonchain electric-discharge HF laser. The energy of the Fe : ZnSe laser in a single-pulse regime was 1.67 J at the slope efficiency with respect to the absorbed and incident energy of ∼43% and ∼27%, respectively. In a repetitivelypulsed regime with a pulserepetition rate of 20 Hz and an efficiency with respect to the absorbed power of ∼40%, the average laser power was ∼20 W with an individual pulse energy of ∼1 J. The possibility of increasing the average power of the repetitivelypulsed Fe : ZnSe laser at room temperature is discussed.

Compact, high power blue light in the 470-490nm region is difficult to generate due to the lack of laser sources which are easily convertible (through parametric processes) to those wavelengths. By using a pulsed Tm-doped fiber laser as a pump source for a 2-stage second harmonic generation (SHG) scheme, we have generated ~2W of 486.5nm light at 500kHz pulserepetition frequency (PRF). To our knowledge, this is the highest PRF and output power achieved in the blue region based on a frequency converted, monolithic fiber laser. This pump laser is a pulsed Tm-doped fiber laser/amplifier which generates 12.8W of 1946nm power at 500kHz PRF with diffraction-limited output from a purely single-mode fiber. The output from this laser is converted to 973nm through second harmonic generation (SHG). The 973nm is then converted to 486.5nm via another SHG stage. This architecture operates with very low peak power, which can be challenging from a nonlinear conversion standpoint. However, the low peak power enables the use of a single-mode monolithic fiber amplifier without undergoing nonlinear effects in the fiber. This also eliminates the need for novel fiber designs, large-mode area fiber, or free-space coupling to rod-type amplifiers, improving reliability and robustness of the laser source. Higher power and conversion efficiency are possible through the addition of Tm-doped fiber amplification stages as well as optimization of the nonlinear conversion process and nonlinear materials. In this paper, we discuss the laser layout, results, and challenges with generating blue light using a low peak power approach.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective and novel treatment method that has been approved for the treatment of refractory depression by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The most common side effects of rTMS are a transient headache that usually responds to simple analgesics, local discomfort in the stimulation area, dizziness, ipsilateral lacrimation and, very rarely, generalized seizure. TMS is also regarded as a beneficial tool for investigating mechanisms underlying headache. Although rTMS has considerable benefits in terms of headache, there is the potential for rare side effects. In this report, we present the case of a patient with no history of autonomic headache who underwent a course of rTMS for refractory unipolar depression caused by an inadequate response to pharmacotherapy. After his fourth rTMS session, the patient developed sudden headaches with characteristics of trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia on the stimulated side, representing a noteworthy example of the potential side effects of rTMS. PMID:28360729

Little is known about the neural correlates underlying the integration of working memory and emotion processing. We investigated the effects of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied over the left or right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on emotional working memory. In a sham-controlled crossover design, participants performed an emotional 3-back task (EMOBACK) at baseline and after stimulation (1 Hz, 15 min, 110 % of the resting motor threshold) in two subsequent sessions. Stimuli were words assigned to the distinct emotion categories fear and anger as well as neutral words. We found lateralized rTMS effects in the EMOBACK task accuracy for fear-related words, with enhanced performance after rTMS applied over the right DLPFC and impaired performance after rTMS applied over the left DLPFC. No significant stimulation effect could be found for anger-related and neutral words. Our findings are the first to demonstrate a causal role of the right DLPFC in working memory for negative, withdrawal-related words and provide further support for a hemispheric lateralization of emotion processing.

Several Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) techniques can be applied to noninvasively measure cortical excitability and brain plasticity in humans. TMS has been used to assess neuroplastic changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD), corroborating findings that cortical physiology is altered in AD due to the underlying neurodegenerative process. In fact, many TMS studies have provided physiological evidence of abnormalities in cortical excitability, connectivity, and plasticity in patients with AD. Moreover, the combination of TMS with other neurophysiological techniques, such as high-density electroencephalography (EEG), makes it possible to study local and network cortical plasticity directly. Interestingly, several TMS studies revealed abnormalities in patients with early AD and even with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), thus enabling early identification of subjects in whom the cholinergic degeneration has occurred. Furthermore, TMS can influence brain function if delivered repetitively; repetitive TMS (rTMS) is capable of modulating cortical excitability and inducing long-lasting neuroplastic changes. Preliminary findings have suggested that rTMS can enhance performances on several cognitive functions impaired in AD and MCI. However, further well-controlled studies with appropriate methodology in larger patient cohorts are needed to replicate and extend the initial findings. The purpose of this paper was to provide an updated and comprehensive systematic review of the studies that have employed TMS/rTMS in patients with MCI and AD.

Performance of repetitivelypulsed xenon chloride excimer laser (λ~308 nm) with solid state pulser consisting of magnetic pulse compression circuit (MPC) using all ferrite magnetic cores (AFMC) is reported. Laser system suitable for 100 Hz operation with inbuilt pre-ionizer, compact gas circulation and cooling has been developed and presented. In this configuration, high voltage pulses of ~8 μs duration are compressed to ~100 ns by magnetic pulse compression circuit with overall compression factor of ~80. Pulse energy of ~18 J stored in the primary capacitor is transferred to the laser head with an efficiency of ~85% compared to ~70% that is normally achieved in such configurations using annealed met-glass core. This is a significant improvement of about 21%. Maximum output laser pulse energy of ~100 mJ was achieved at repetition rate of 100 Hz with a typical pulse to pulse energy stability of ±5% and laser pulse energy of 150 mJ was generated at low rep-rate of ~40 Hz. This exciter uses a low current and low voltage solid state switch (SCR) that replaces high voltage and high current switch i. e, thyratron completely. The use of solid state exciter in turn reduces electromagnetic interference (EMI) effects particularly in excimer lasers where high EMI is present due to high di/dt. The laser is focused on a thin copper sheet for generation of micro-hole and the SEM image of the generated micro hole shows the energy stability of the laser at high repetition rate operation. Nearly homogeneous, regular and well developed xenon chloride (XeCl) laser beam spot was achieved using the laser.

Compulsions, like pathological gambling, binge-eating disorder, alcohol, tobacco or cocaine abuse and compulsive shopping have similar neurophysiological processing. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in improving patient control over compulsive behavior. The rTMS modulatory role in cortical mesolimbic pathways possibly implies improvement of the inhibitory control system and compulsive consumption drive. Thus, craving reduction would be a component for control achievement. Within this context, 17 studies were found. Most studies applied rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Craving reduction was observed in 10 studies and was associated with improved control of compulsion in two of them. In one study reduction in consumption was found without reduction in craving. In addition, improvement in decision making was found in one study.

We investigated the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the human cerebral cortex on apparent motion perception. Previous studies have shown that human extrastriate visual area MT+ (V5) processes not only real but also apparent motion. However, the functional relevance of MT+ on long-range apparent motion perception remains unclear. Here, we show direct evidence for the involvement of MT+ in apparent motion perception using rTMS, which is known to temporarily inhibit a localized region in the cerebral cortex. The results showed that apparent motion perception decreased after applying rTMS over MT+, but not after applying rTMS over the control region (inferior temporal gyrus). The decrease in performance caused by applying rTMS to MT+ suggests that MT+ is a causally responsible region for apparent motion perception, and thus, further supports the idea that MT+ plays a major role in the perception of motion.

Full Text Available Background: Prolonged inhibition of acetylcholine esterase may lead to the intermediate syndrome. Neuromuscular junction (NMJ dysfunction has been shown with repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS. Subclinical NMJ dysfunction may also occur. We aimed to examine the NMJ function following acute organophosphorus (OP poisoning by using exercise modified slow RNS. Methods: A cohort study was conducted with matched controls. Patients with acute OP poisoning were enrolled. NMJ function, muscle power and tendon reflexes were assessed at discharge and six weeks after exposure. NMJ function was assessed with exercise modified supramaximal slow RNS of the median nerve. Results: There were 68 patients and 71 controls. Mean (SD age of patients and controls were 32 (12 and 33 (12 years. In some particular amplitude, the decrement response was statistically significant. They were decrement response at rest, at fourth amplitude (95% CI: -0.2 to -2.7 and two minutes post-exercise at fourth and fifth amplitudes (95% CI: -0.8 to -5, -1 to -5 respectively in the second assessment compared to controls, decrement response at rest at fourth and fifth amplitudes (95% CI: -4 to -0.5, -3.9 to -0.01 respectively and two minutes post-exercise at fourth amplitude (95% CI: -5 to -0.8 in the second assessment compared to the first assessment. Patients in the first assessment and controls showed more than 8% decrement response either to the second, fourth or fifth stimuli in seven and five occasions respectively. Conclusion: There was no significant neuromuscular junction dysfunction assessed by exercise modified slow repetitivestimulation following acute exposure to OP. Since, NMJ dysfunctions are likely to occur following OP poisoning, other electrodiagnostic modalities such as SF-EMG are probably more efficient to assess these abnormalities.

Background As a treatment of depression, the efficacy of conventional repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is limited, and symptoms recurrence is easy to occur after the treatment. This study aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of sleep electroencephalogram modulated repetitive rTMS (SEM-rTMS) in the treatment of depression.Methods After 7 days without psychoactive medication, 164 patients with clinically defined depression were randomly divided into 3 groups: SEM-rTMS group (n=57), conventional rTMS (C-rTMS, n=55) group and sham-rTMS group (n=S2). Every patient was treated with the corresponding method for 30 minutes everyday for 10 days. Before and after scores on the 24-item Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAMD-24) and the clinical outcome on the 10th day of therapy for all subjects were analyzed.Results Twenty-two cases in the SEM-rTMS group obtained improved mood as compared to 6 in the C-rTMS group and 2 in the sham-rTMS group (X2=15.89, P=0.0004). After completion of the rTMS phase of the protocol, a (51±5)% reduction of HAMD-24 scores from the baseline in the SEM-rTMS group was found compared with a (34±4)% in the C-rTMS group (g=26.09, P=0.001) and a (14±3)% in sham-rTMS group (q=57.53, P=0.000). The 88% total effective rate in the SEM-rTMS group was significantly higher than 68% in the C-rTMS group and 20% in the sham-rTMS group (X2=12.01, P=0.0025). No significant side effects were noted.Conclusion SEM-rTMS is an effective and safe way for treating depression with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (ChiCTR-TRC-00000438).

The influence of a pre-pulse population of copper atom metastable states and their sub-population at a current pulse edge on the copper vapour laser pulse energy is studied under optimal temperature conditions. Experiments have been performed with active elements of a commercial laser having an internal diameter of a discharge channel of 14 and 20 mm. It is found that at a pulserepetition frequency of 12 – 14 kHz, corresponding to a maximal output power, the reduction of the energy due to a residual population of metastable states is by an order of magnitude less than due to their sub-population at a current pulse edge. The modelling based on the experimental results obtained has shown that in the case of an active element with an internal diameter of 14 mm, a decrease in the pulse leading edge from ∼25 ns to 0.6 ns does not reduce the laser pulse energy up to the repetition frequency of ∼50 kHz at an average output power of 70 W m{sup -1} and efficiency of ∼11%. (lasers)

Despite many years of research, there is still an urgent need for new therapeutic options for the treatment of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been proposed to be such a novel add-on treatment option. The main objective of this review was to systematically evaluate the cognitive effects of repetitive NIBS in schizophrenia. As most studies have not been specifically designed to investigate cognition as primary outcome, we have focused on both, primary and secondary outcomes. The PubMed/MEDLINE database (1985-2015) was systematically searched for interventional studies investigating the effects of repetitive NIBS on schizophrenia symptoms. All interventional clinical trials using repetitive transcranial stimulation, transcranial theta burst stimulation, and transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of schizophrenia were extracted and analyzed with regard to cognitive measures as primary or secondary outcomes. Seventy-six full-text articles were assessed for eligibility of which 33 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Of these 33 studies, only 4 studies included cognition as primary outcome, whereas 29 studies included cognitive measures as secondary outcomes. A beneficial effect of frontal NIBS could not be clearly established. No evidence for a cognitive disruptive effect of NIBS (temporal lobe) in schizophrenia could be detected. Finally, a large heterogeneity between studies in terms of inclusion criteria, stimulation parameters, applied cognitive measures, and follow-up intervals was observed. This review provides the first systematic overview regarding cognitive effects of repetitive NIBS in schizophrenia.

Soliton self-frequency shift (SSFS) in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) pumped by a long-cavity mode-locked Cr:forsterite laser is integrated with second harmonic generation (SHG) in a nonlinear crystal to generate ultrashort light pulses tunable within the range of wavelengths from 680 to 1800 nm at a repetition rate of 20 MHz. The pulse width of the second harmonic output is tuned from 70 to 600 fs by varying the thickness of the nonlinear crystal, beam-focusing geometry, and the wavelength of the soliton PCF output. Wavelength-tunable pulses generated through a combination of SSFS and SHG are ideally suited for coherent Raman microspectroscopy at high repetition rates, as verified by experiments on synthetic diamond and polystyrene films.

Post-stroke recovery is based on plastic changes in the central nervous system that can compensate the loss of activity in affected brain regions. In particular, monohemispheric stroke is thought to result in disinhibition of the contralesional unaffected hemisphere. Neurorehabilitation programs improve function partly by enhancing cortical reorganization. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive way of producing potent changes in cortical excitability. Therefore, the application of rTMS was recently proposed to promote functional recovery in stroke patients, owing to the induced neuroplasticity. This review discusses the first clinical results that were obtained by rTMS in patients with post-stroke motor deficit, visuospatial neglect, or aphasia. These results are promising and depend on the site and frequency of stimulation. In summary, functional recovery might be obtained either when rTMS is applied at low-frequency (around 1 Hz) over the disinhibited, unaffected hemisphere in order to restore defective inhibition or when rTMS is applied at high-frequency (5 Hz or more) over the affected hemisphere in order to reactivate hypoactive regions. The overall procedure remains to be optimized, in particular regarding the number of rTMS sessions and the time of rTMS application after stroke. Cortical stimulation is an exciting perspective for improving functional recovery from stroke. Transient application of non-invasive transcranial stimulation during the time of the rehabilitation process will be preferable to the temporary implantation of epidural cortical electrodes, as recently proposed. Therefore, in the future, acute or recent stroke might be a major indication of rTMS in neurological practice.

Application of high frequency short pulse plasma immersion low energy ion implantation for titanium nitride coating deposition using vacuum arc metal plasma and hot-cathode gas-discharge plasma on R6M5 alloy was investigated. Implementation of negative repetitivelypulsed bias with bias amplitude 2 kV, pulse duration 5 μs and pulse frequency 105 Hz leads to 6.2-fold decrease of vacuum arc macroparticle surface density for macroparticles with diameter less than 0.5 μm. Ion sputtering due coating deposition reduces the production rate approximately by 30%. It was found that with bias amplitude range from 1.1 to 1.4 kV and pulse duration 5 μs yields to formation of coatings with local hardness up to 40 GPa. This paper presents the results of experimental studies of adhesion strength, tribological properties and surface morphology of deposited TiN coatings.

A plasma focus system composed of a pair of counter-facing coaxial plasma guns is proposed as a long-pulse and/or repetitive high energy density plasma source. A proof-of-concept experiment demonstrated that with an assist of breakdown and outer electrode connections, current sheets evolved into a configuration for stable plasma confinement at the center of the electrodes. The current sheets could successively compress and confine the high energy density plasma every half period of the discharge current, enabling highly repetitive light emissions in extreme ultraviolet region with time durations in at least ten microseconds.

In this study, the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the kindling induced changes in electrophysiological firing properties of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons was investigated. Male Wistar rats were kindled by daily electrical stimulation of the basolateral amygdala in a semi-rapid manner (12 stimulations/day) until they achieved stage-5 seizure. One group (kindled+rTMS (KrTMS)) of animals received rTMS (240 pulses at 1 Hz) at 5 min after termination of daily kindling stimulations. Twenty-four hours following the last kindling stimulation electrophysiological properties of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons were investigated using a whole-cell patch clamp technique, under current clamp condition. Amygdala kindling significantly decreased the adaptation index, post-afterhyperpolarization, rheobase current, utilization time, and delay to the first rebound spike. It also caused an increase in the voltage sag, number of rebound spikes and number of evoked action potential. Results of the present study revealed that application of rTMS following kindling stimulations had antiepileptogenic effects. In addition, application of rTMS prevented hyperexcitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons induced by kindling and conserved the normal neuronal firing.

Habituation deficits in various sensory modalities have been observed in migraine patients in several experimental designs. The underlying neuronal mechanisms are, however, still unknown. Past studies have used electrophysiological measures and focussed on habituation behaviour during one single session. We were interested in how repeated painful stimulation over several days is processed, perceived and modulated in migraineurs. Fifteen migraine patients and 15 healthy controls were stimulated daily with a 20 min trigeminal pain paradigm for eight consecutive days, using functional MRI performed on days one and eight and one follow-up measurement three months later. The results demonstrate that migraine patients did not differ in behavioural pain ratings compared to the controls at any time. However, functional imaging data revealed a significant difference in several brain areas over time. The activity level in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) increased in healthy control subjects from day one to day eight, whereas it decreased in migraine patients. These data suggest that several brain areas known to be involved in endogenous pain control show a completely opposite behaviour in migraine patients compared to healthy controls. These brain networks seem not to be disrupted per se in migraine patients but changed activity over time responding to repetitive nociceptive input. The alteration of pain inhibitory circuits may be the underlying mechanism responsible for the dys-functional neuronal filters of sensory input.

Bacterial DNA exerts immunostimulatory effects on mammalian cells via the intracellular TLR9. Although broad analysis of TLR9-mediated immunostimulatory potential of synthetic oligonucleotides has been developed, which kinds of natural bacterial DNA sequences are responsible for immunostimulation are not known. This work provides evidence that the natural DNA sequences named repetitive extragenic palindromic (REPs) sequences present in Gram-negative bacteria are able to produce innate immune system stimulation via TLR9. A strong induction of IFN-alpha production by REPs from Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Neisseria meningitidis was detected in splenocytes from 129 mice. In addition, the involvement of TLR9 in immune stimulation by REPs was confirmed using B6.129P2-Tlr9(tm1Aki) knockout mice. Considering the involvement of TLRs in Gram-negative septic shock, it is conceivable that REPs play a role in its pathogenesis. This study highlights REPs as a potential novel target in septic shock treatment.

Full Text Available Ultrafast lasers provide an outstanding processing quality but their main drawback is the low removal rate per pulse compared to longer pulses. This limitation could be overcome by increasing both average power and repetition rate. In this paper, we report on the influence of high repetition rate and pulse duration on both ablation efficiency and processing quality on metals. All trials have been performed with a single tunable ultrafast laser (350 fs to 10ps.

Full Text Available Background: Nonunion of long bones is a difficult clinical problem and challenges the clinical acumen of surgeons. Multiple surgical or nonsurgical modalities have been used to treat nonunions. Noninvasive pulsed electromagnetic stimulation is an entity known to affect the piezoelectric phenomenon of bone forming cells. We conducted a study on 45 long-bone fractures of tibia treated by pulsed electromagnetic stimulation, which are analyzed and reported. Materials and Methods: A total of 45 tibial fractures with established atrophic nonunion were enrolled between 1981 and 1988. All the patients had abnormal mobility and no or minimal gap at fracture site with no evidence of callus formation across the fracture site. The patients′ age ranged between 24 and 68 years; 40 were men and 5 were women. All patients having evidence of infection, implant in situ , and gap nonunions were excluded from study. Pulsed electromagnetic stimulation was given using above-knee plaster of Paris cast (0.008 Weber/m 2 magnetic field was created for 12 h/day. The average duration for pulsed electromagnetic stimulation (PEMS therapy was 8.35 weeks, with the range being 6-12 weeks. The cases were evaluated at 6 weeks and subsequently every 6-weekly interval for clinical and radiological union. The withdrawal of therapy was decided as per clinicoradiological evidence of union. Results: All but three patients showed evidence of union. About 35% (n = 16 cases showed union in 10 weeks, and 85% (n = 38 cases showed union in 4 months. The average duration of therapy using PEMS was 8.35±0.48 weeks, and the average duration of immobilization was 3.02 ± 0.22 months. Three cases that did not show evidence of union were poorly compliant for the apparatus of PEMS. Conclusion: PEMS is a useful noninvasive modality of treatment for difficult nonunion of long bones.

Mechano-sensitivity of the vascular network is known to be implicated in the rapid dilatation at the onset of exercise, however, it is not known how this mechanism responds to repetitive mechanical stimulation. This study tests the hypothesis that the mechanically-induced hyperaemia undergoes some attenuation upon repetitivestimulation. Muscle blood flow was recorded from 9 masseteric arteries (5 right, 4 left) in 6 anesthetized rabbits. Two mechanical stimuli, masseter muscle compression (MC) and occlusion of the masseteric artery (AO), were provided in different combinations: A) repeated stimulation (0.5 Hz, for 40 s); B) single stimuli delivered at decreasing inter-stimulus interval (ISI) from 4 min to 2 s, C) single AO delivered before and immediately after a series of 20 MCs at 0.5 Hz, and vice-versa. Repetitive AO stimulation at 0.5 Hz produced a transient hyperaemia (378 ±189%) peaking at 4.5 ±1.4 s and then decaying before the end of stimulation. The hyperaemic response to individual AOs progressively decreased by 74 ±39% with decreasing ISI from 4 min to 2 s (p<0.01). Non significant differences were observed between AO and MC stimulation. Decreased response to AO was also provoked by previous repetitive MC stimulation, and vice-versa. The results provide evidence that the mechano-sensitivity of the vascular network is attenuated by previous mechanical stimulation. It is suggested that the mechano-sensitive dilatory mechanisms undergoes some inactivation whose recovery time is in the order of a few minutes.

Full Text Available Two-dimensional kinetic simulation has been carried out to investigate the effects of repetition rate and pulse width of nanosecond repetitivelypulsed discharges on stabilizing premixed lean methane-air combustion. The repetition rate and pulse width are varied from 10 kHz to 50 kHz and from 9 ns to 2 ns while the total power is kept constant. The lower repetition rates provide larger amounts of radicals such as O, H, and OH. However, the effect on stabilization is found to be the same for all of the tested repetition rates. The shorter pulse width is found to favor the production of species in higher electronic states, but the varying effects on stabilization are also found to be small. Our results indicate that the total deposited power is the critical element that determines the extent of stabilization over this range of discharge properties studied.

Background/Objective: There is evidence for an antidepressant effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), but little is known about posttreatment course. Therefore, we conducted a placebo-controlled, double-blind study in depressed patients in order to investigate the effect of rT

It has been argued that clinical depression is accompanied by reductions in cortical excitability of the left prefrontal cortex (PFC). In support of this, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which is a method of enhancing cortical excitability, has shown antidepressant efficacy when

Objective: Slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), at a frequency of 1 Hz, has been proposed as a treatment for auditory hallucinations. Several studies have now been reported regarding the efficacy of TMS treatment, but results were inconsistent. Therefore, meta-analytic integrati

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a potential treatment in treatment resistant major depressive disorder (MDD). However, there is no consensus about the exact site of stimulation for rTMS. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) offers a potential technique in deciding the site of stimulation. The present study was conducted to assess the difference in outcome of brain SPECT assisted rTMS versus standard protocol of twenty sessions of high frequency rTMS as add on treatment in 20 patients with treatment resistant MDD, given over a period of 4 weeks. Thirteen subjects (group I) received high frequency rTMS over an area of hypoperfusion in the prefrontal cortex, as identified on SPECT, whereas 7 subjects (group II) were administered rTMS in the left dorsoslateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) area. Improvement was monitored using standardized instruments. Patients in the group I showed a significantly better response compared to those in the group II. In group I, 46% of the subjects were responders on MADRS, 38% on BDI and 77% on CGI. The parallel figures of responders in Group II were 0% on MADRS, 14% on BDI and 43% on CGI. There were no remitters in the study. No significant untoward side effects were noticed. The study had limitations of a small sample size and non-controlled design, and all the subjects were also receiving the standard antidepressant therapy. Administration of rTMS over brain SPECT specified area of hypoperfusion may have a better clinical outcome compared to the standard protocol.

Full Text Available Introduction. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS is a method of brain stimulation which is increasingly used in both clinical practice and research. Up-to-date studies have pointed out a potential antidepressive effect of rTMS, but definitive superiority over placebo has not yet been confirmed. Objective. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of rTMS as an adjuvant treatment with antidepressants during 18 weeks of evaluation starting from the initial application of the protocol. Methods. Four patients with the diagnosis of moderate/severe major depression were included in the study. The protocol involved 2000 stimuli per day (rTMS frequency of 10 Hz, intensity of 120% motor threshold administered over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC for 15 days. Subjective and objective depressive symptoms were measured before the initiation of rTMS and repeatedly evaluated at week 3, 6, 12 and 18 from the beginning of the stimulation. Results. After completion of rTMS protocol two patients demonstrated a reduction of depressive symptoms that was sustained throughout the 15-week follow-up period. One patient showed a tendency of remission during the first 12 weeks of the study, but relapsed in week 18. One patient showed no significant symptom reduction at any point of follow-up. Conclusion. Preliminary findings suggest that rTMS has a good tolerability and can be efficient in accelerating the effect of antidepressants, particularly in individuals with shorter duration of depressive episodes and moderate symptom severity. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III41029 i br. ON175090

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with morbid fear of fatness, extreme food restriction and altered self-regulation. Neuroimaging data implicate fronto-striatal circuitry, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In this double-blind parallel group study, we investigated the effects of one session of sham-controlled high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the left DLPFC (l-DLPFC) in 60 individuals with AN. A food exposure task was administered before and after the procedure to elicit AN-related symptoms. The primary outcome measure was 'core AN symptoms', a variable which combined several subjective AN-related experiences. The effects of rTMS on other measures of psychopathology (e.g. mood), temporal discounting (TD; intertemporal choice behaviour) and on salivary cortisol concentrations were also investigated. Safety, tolerability and acceptability were assessed. Fourty-nine participants completed the study. Whilst there were no interaction effects of rTMS on core AN symptoms, there was a trend for group differences (p = 0.056): after controlling for pre-rTMS scores, individuals who received real rTMS had reduced symptoms post-rTMS and at 24-hour follow-up, relative to those who received sham stimulation. Other psychopathology was not altered differentially following real/sham rTMS. In relation to TD, there was an interaction trend (p = 0.060): real versus sham rTMS resulted in reduced rates of TD (more reflective choice behaviour). Salivary cortisol concentrations were unchanged by stimulation. rTMS was safe, well-tolerated and was considered an acceptable intervention. This study provides modest evidence that rTMS to the l-DLPFC transiently reduces core symptoms of AN and encourages prudent decision making. Importantly, individuals with AN considered rTMS to be a viable treatment option. These findings require replication in multiple-session studies to evaluate therapeutic efficacy. www.Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN

We present a high peak power degenerated parametric amplifier operating at 1030 nm and 97 kHz repetition rate. Pulses of a state-of-the art fiber chirped-pulse amplification (FCPA) system with 840 fs pulse duration and 410 microJ pulse energy are used as pump and seed source for a two stage optical parametric amplifier. Additional spectral broadening of the seed signal in a photonic crystal fiber creates enough bandwidth for ultrashort pulse generation. Subsequent amplification of the broadband seed signal in two 1 mm BBO crystals results in 41 microJ output pulse energy. Compression in a SF 11 prism compressor yields 37 microJ pulses as short as 52 fs. Thus, pulse shortening of more than one order of magnitude is achieved. Further scaling in terms of average power and pulse energy seems possible and will be discussed, since both concepts involved, the fiber laser and the parametric amplifier have the reputation to be immune against thermo-optical effects.

This report, based on four studies with children with low-functioning autism, aimed at evaluating the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation delivered on the left and right premotor cortices on eye-hand integration tasks; defining the long-lasting effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; and…

discharge filaments and near the electrode edges [9]. Instead of using absorption measurement, an atmospheric pressure flame generated by a Hencken...DuPont) is placed between each electrode and the channel wall, to reduce air gaps and prevent corona discharge outside the cell. In the present work...1 Absolute OH Number Density Measurements in Lean Fuel-Air Mixtures Excited by a RepetitivelyPulsed Nanosecond Discharge Zhiyao Yin, Campbell D

@@ A compact femtoescond Ti:sapphire ring oscillator composed of chirped mirrors is designed. By accurately optimizing the intra-cavity dispersion and the mode locking range of the ring configuration, we generate laser pulses as short as 7.7 fs with a repetition rate as high as 745 MHz. The spectrum spans from 660nm to 940nm and the average output power is 480row under the cw pump laser of 7.5 W.

The generation of relativistic electron beams using laser wakefield acceleration has become a standard technique, providing low emittance electron bunches with femtosecond durations. However, this technique usually requires multi-ten-terawatt lasers and is thus limited to low repetition-rate (typically 10 Hz or less). We have recently demonstrated the generation of few MeV electrons using 2.5-mJ, 4-fs, 1-kHz repetition-rate laser pulses, focused to relativistic intensity onto a gas jet with electron density 1020 cm-3. We have investigated the influence of the pulse duration, the gas density. We demonstrated that an electron beam with a charge in the range of 10-fC/shot, with a divergence of 20-mrad and a peaked spectrum with energies between 2 and 4 MeV can be generated at kHz repetition-rate. These results confirm the possibility of using few-cycle laser pulses with very low energy for exciting wakefields in the bubble regime and for trapping electrons, as predicted by PIC simulations. This kHz electron source is ideally suited for performing electron diffraction experiments with very high temporal resolution. Our results also open the way to other applications, such as the generation of a kHz ultrafast X-ray source. ERC femtoelec.

In atmospheric pressure air preheated from 300 to 1000 K, the nanosecond repetitivelypulsed (NRP) method has been used to generate corona, glow, and spark discharges. Experiments have been performed to determine the parameter space (applied voltage, pulserepetition frequency, ambient gas temperature, and interelectrode gap distance) of each discharge regime. In particular, the experimental conditions necessary for the glow regime of NRP discharges have been determined, with the notable result that there exists a minimum and maximum gap distance for its existence at a given ambient gas temperature. The minimum gap distance increases with decreasing gas temperature, whereas the maximum does not vary appreciably. To explain the experimental results, an analytical model is developed to explain the corona-to-glow (C-G) and glow-to-spark (G-S) transitions. The C-G transition is analyzed in terms of the avalanche-to-streamer transition and the breakdown field during the conduction phase following the establishment of a conducting channel across the discharge gap. The G-S transition is determined by the thermal ionization instability, and we show analytically that this transition occurs at a certain reduced electric field for the NRP discharges studied here. This model shows that the electrode geometry plays an important role in the existence of the NRP glow regime at a given gas temperature. We derive a criterion for the existence of the NRP glow regime as a function of the ambient gas temperature, pulserepetition frequency, electrode radius of curvature, and interelectrode gap distance.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been applied for the treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Timely and accurate assessments of its modulation effects are very useful. This study evaluated rTMS modulation effects on electroencephalography (EEG) oscillation in patients with chronic DOC. Eighteen patients with a diagnosis of DOC lasting more than 3 months were recruited. All patients received one session of 10-Hz rTMS at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and then 12 of them received consecutive rTMS treatment everyday for 20 consecutive days. Resting-state EEGs were recorded before the experiment (T0) after one session of rTMS (T1) and after the entire treatment (T2). The JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised scale scores were also recorded at the time points. Our data showed that application of 10-Hz rTMS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decreased low-frequency band power and increased high-frequency band power in DOC patients, especially in minimal conscious state patients. Considering the correlation of the EEG spectrum with the consciousness level of patients with DOC, quantitative EEG might be useful for assessment of the effect of rTMS in DOC patients.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on patients with sleep bruxism (SB). Twelve patients with SB were included in an open, single-intervention pilot study. rTMS at 1 Hz and an intensity of 80% of the active motor threshold was applied to the 'hot spot' of the masseter muscle representation at the primary motor cortex bilaterally for 20 min per side each day for 5 consecutive days. The jaw-closing muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity during sleep was recorded with a portable EMG recorder at baseline, during rTMS treatment and at follow-up for 5 days. In addition, patients scored their jaw-closing muscle soreness on a 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS). Data were analysed with analysis of variance. The intensity of the EMG activity was suppressed during and after rTMS compared to the baseline (P = 0.04; P = 0.02, respectively). The NRS score of soreness decreased significantly during and after rTMS compared with baseline (P < 0.01). These findings indicated a significant inhibition of jaw-closing muscle activity during sleep along with a decrease of muscle soreness. This pilot study raises the possibility of therapeutic benefits from rTMS in patients with bruxism and calls for further and more controlled studies.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on patients with sleep bruxism (SB). Twelve patients with SB were included in an open, single-intervention pilot study. rTMS at 1 Hz and an intensity of 80% of the active motor threshold was applied to the ‘hot spot' of the masseter muscle representation at the primary motor cortex bilaterally for 20 min per side each day for 5 consecutive days. The jaw-closing muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity during sleep was recorded with a portable EMG recorder at baseline, during rTMS treatment and at follow-up for 5 days. In addition, patients scored their jaw-closing muscle soreness on a 0–10 numerical rating scale (NRS). Data were analysed with analysis of variance. The intensity of the EMG activity was suppressed during and after rTMS compared to the baseline (P = 0.04; P = 0.02, respectively). The NRS score of soreness decreased significantly during and after rTMS compared with baseline (P < 0.01). These findings indicated a significant inhibition of jaw-closing muscle activity during sleep along with a decrease of muscle soreness. This pilot study raises the possibility of therapeutic benefits from rTMS in patients with bruxism and calls for further and more controlled studies. PMID:27025267

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on patients with sleep bruxism (SB). Twelve patients with SB were included in an open, single-intervention pilot study. rTMS at 1 Hz and an intensity of 80% of the active motor threshold was applied to the ‘hot spot’ of the masseter muscle representation at the primary motor cortex bilaterally for 20 min per side each day for 5 consecutive days. The jaw-closing muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity during sleep was recorded with a portable EMG recorder at baseline, during rTMS treatment and at follow-up for 5 days. In addition, patients scored their jaw-closing muscle soreness on a 0–10 numerical rating scale (NRS). Data were analysed with analysis of variance. The intensity of the EMG activity was suppressed during and after rTMS compared to the baseline (P 5 0.04; P 5 0.02, respectively). The NRS score of soreness decreased significantly during and after rTMS compared with baseline (P,0.01). These findings indicated a significant inhibition of jaw-closing muscle activity during sleep along with a decrease of muscle soreness. This pilot study raises the possibility of therapeutic benefits from rTMS in patients with bruxism and calls for further and more controlled studies.

Several lines of evidence suggest that the cerebellum may play a role in the regulation of emotion. The aim of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that inhibition of cerebellar function using slow repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) would lead to increased negative mood as a result of impaired emotion regulation. In a randomized counterbalanced within-subjects design, 12 healthy young right-handed volunteers received 20 min of cerebellar, occipital, or sham 1 Hz rTMS on three separate days. Mood state inventories were acquired prior to and immediately after rTMS and after an emotion regulation task (ERT). In the ERT, participants were instructed to either look at aversive and neutral scenes, or to suppress the negative feelings experienced while watching aversive scenes during which the electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Results showing no changes in baseline-corrected mood were observed immediately after rTMS. However, significant increases in baseline-corrected negative mood following the ERT were reported after cerebellar rTMS exclusively. No effects on the EEG during the ERT were observed. These findings provide support for the view that the cerebellum is implicated in the regulation of emotion and mood, and concur with evidence of cerebellar abnormalities observed in disorders associated with emotion dysregulation. In order to clarify the underlying biological mechanisms involved, more research is needed.

A major goal of rehabilitation strategies after spinal cord injury (SCI) is to enhance the recovery of function. One possible avenue to achieve this goal is to strengthen the efficacy of the residual neuronal pathways. Noninvasive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used in patients with motor disorders as a tool to modulate activity of corticospinal, cortical, and subcortical pathways to promote functional recovery. This article reviews a series of studies published during the last decade that used rTMS in the acute and chronic stages of paraplegia and tetraplegia in humans with complete and incomplete SCI. In the studies, rTMS has been applied over the arm and leg representations of the primary motor cortex to target 3 main consequences of SCI: sensory and motor function impairments, spasticity, and neuropathic pain. Although some studies demonstrated that consecutive sessions of rTMS improve aspects of particular functions, other studies did not show similar effects. We discuss how rTMS parameters and postinjury reorganization in the corticospinal tract, motor cortical, and spinal cord circuits might be critical factors in understanding the advantages and disadvantages of using rTMS in patients with SCI. The available data highlight the limited information on the use of rTMS after SCI and the need to further understand the pathophysiology of neuronal structures affected by rTMS to maximize the potential beneficial effects of this technique in humans with SCI.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and repetitive TMS (rTMS) are indirect and non-invasive methods used to induce excitability changes in the motor cortex via a wire coil generating a magnetic field that passes through the scalp. Today, TMS has become a key method to investigate brain functioning in humans. Moreover, because rTMS can lead to long-lasting after-effects in the brain, it is thought to be able to induce plasticity. This tool appears to be a potential therapy for neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying the effects induced by TMS and rTMS have not yet been clearly identified. The purpose of the present review is to summarize the main knowledge available for TMS and rTMS to allow for understanding their mode of action and to specify the different parameters that influence their effects. This review takes an inventory of the most-used rTMS paradigms in clinical research and exhibits the hypotheses commonly assumed to explain rTMS after-effects.

Full Text Available Anorexia nervosa (AN is associated with morbid fear of fatness, extreme food restriction and altered self-regulation. Neuroimaging data implicate fronto-striatal circuitry, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC.In this double-blind parallel group study, we investigated the effects of one session of sham-controlled high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS to the left DLPFC (l-DLPFC in 60 individuals with AN. A food exposure task was administered before and after the procedure to elicit AN-related symptoms.The primary outcome measure was 'core AN symptoms', a variable which combined several subjective AN-related experiences. The effects of rTMS on other measures of psychopathology (e.g. mood, temporal discounting (TD; intertemporal choice behaviour and on salivary cortisol concentrations were also investigated. Safety, tolerability and acceptability were assessed.Fourty-nine participants completed the study. Whilst there were no interaction effects of rTMS on core AN symptoms, there was a trend for group differences (p = 0.056: after controlling for pre-rTMS scores, individuals who received real rTMS had reduced symptoms post-rTMS and at 24-hour follow-up, relative to those who received sham stimulation. Other psychopathology was not altered differentially following real/sham rTMS. In relation to TD, there was an interaction trend (p = 0.060: real versus sham rTMS resulted in reduced rates of TD (more reflective choice behaviour. Salivary cortisol concentrations were unchanged by stimulation. rTMS was safe, well-tolerated and was considered an acceptable intervention.This study provides modest evidence that rTMS to the l-DLPFC transiently reduces core symptoms of AN and encourages prudent decision making. Importantly, individuals with AN considered rTMS to be a viable treatment option. These findings require replication in multiple-session studies to evaluate therapeutic efficacy

An electric-discharge KrF laser (248 nm) with an average output power of 300 W is developed and studied. A number of new design features are related to the use of a laser chamber based on an Al2O3 ceramic tube. A high power and pulserepetition rate are achieved by using a volume discharge with lateral preionisation by the UV radiation of a creeping discharge in the form of a homogeneous plasma sheet on the surface of a plane sapphire plate. Various generators for pumping the laser are studied. The maximum laser efficiency is 3.1%, the maximum laser energy is 160 mJ pulse-1, and the pulse duration at half maximum is 7.5 ns. In the case of long-term operation at a pulserepetition rate of 4 kHz and an output power of 300 W, high stability of laser output energy (σ <= 0.7%) is achieved using an all-solid-state pump system.

Sources of long wavelengths few-cycle high repetition rate pulses are becoming increasingly important for a plethora of applications, e.g., in high-field physics. Here, we report on the realization of a tunable optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier at 100 kHz repetition rate. At a central wavelength of 2 μm, the system delivered 33 fs pulses and a 6 W average power corresponding to 60 μJ pulse energy with gigawatt-level peak powers. Idler absorption and its crystal heating is experimentally investigated for a BBO. Strategies for further power scaling to several tens of watts of average power are discussed.

Full Text Available To investigate the different effects between sulfonylurea (SU and glinide drugs in insulin secretion, pancreatic β-cells were repeatedly stimulated with SU (glimepiride or glinide (mitiglinide. Total internal reflection fluorescent (TIRF microscopy revealed that secondary stimulation with glimepiride, but not glucose and mitiglinide, failed to evoke fusions of insulin granules although primary stimulation with glucose, glimepiride, and mitiglinide induced equivalent numbers of exocytotic responses. Glimepiride, but not glucose and mitiglinide, induced abnormally sustained [Ca2+]i elevations and reductions of docked insulin granules on the plasma membrane. Our data suggest that the effect of glinide on insulin secretory mechanisms is similar to that of glucose.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation has generated extensive interest within the traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation community, but little work has been done with repetitive protocols, which can produce prolonged changes in behavior. This is partly because of concerns about the safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in subjects with TBI, particularly the risk of seizures. These risks can be minimized by careful selection of the rTMS protocol and exclusion criteria. In this article, we identify guidelines for safe use of rTMS in subjects with TBI based on a review of the literature and illustrate their application with a case study. Our subject is a 48-year-old man who sustained a severe TBI 5 years prior to beginning rTMS for the treatment of post-TBI depression. After a 4-week baseline period, we administered daily sessions of low-frequency stimulation to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 6 weeks. After stimulation, we performed monthly assessments for 3 months. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) was our primary outcome measure. The stimulation was well tolerated and the patient reported no side effects. After 6 weeks of stimulation, the patient's depression was slightly improved, and these improvements continued through follow-up. At the end of follow-up, the patient's HAMD score was 49% of the average baseline score.

A group of European experts was commissioned to establish guidelines on the therapeutic use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) from evidence published up until March 2014, regarding pain, movement disorders, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, consciousness disorders, tinnitus, depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, craving/addiction, and conversion. Despite unavoidable inhomogeneities, there is a sufficient body of evidence to accept with level A (definite efficacy) the analgesic effect of high-frequency (HF) rTMS of the primary motor cortex (M1) contralateral to the pain and the antidepressant effect of HF-rTMS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). A Level B recommendation (probable efficacy) is proposed for the antidepressant effect of low-frequency (LF) rTMS of the right DLPFC, HF-rTMS of the left DLPFC for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and LF-rTMS of contralesional M1 in chronic motor stroke. The effects of rTMS in a number of indications reach level C (possible efficacy), including LF-rTMS of the left temporoparietal cortex in tinnitus and auditory hallucinations. It remains to determine how to optimize rTMS protocols and techniques to give them relevance in routine clinical practice. In addition, professionals carrying out rTMS protocols should undergo rigorous training to ensure the quality of the technical realization, guarantee the proper care of patients, and maximize the chances of success. Under these conditions, the therapeutic use of rTMS should be able to develop in the coming years.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has recently been clinically applied in the treatment of drug resistant depressed patients. There are mixed findings about the efficacy of rTMS on depression. Furthermore, the influence of rTMS on the physiology of the brain is not clear. We prospectively evaluated changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) between pre- and post-rTMS treatment in patients with drug resistant depression. Twelve patients with drug-resistant depression (7 male, 5 female; age range; 19{approx} 52 years; mean age: 29.3 {+-} 9.3 years) were given rTMS on right prefrontal lobe with low frequency (1 Hz) and on left prefrontal lobe with high frequency (20 Hz), with 20-minute-duration each day for 3 weeks. Tc-99m ECD brain perfusion SPECT was obtained before and after rTMS treatment. The changes of cerebral perfusion were analyzed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM; t=3.14, uncorrected {rho} < 0.01, voxel = 100). Following areas showed significant increase in rCBF after 3 weeks rTMS treatment: the cingulate gyrus, fusiform gyrus of right temporal lobe, precuneus, and left lateral globus pallidus. Significant decrement was noted in the precental and middle frontal gyrus of right frontal lobe, and fusiform gyrus of left occipital lobe. Low-frequency rTMS on the right prefrontal cortex and high-frequency rTMS on the left prefrontal cortex for 3 weeks as an add-on regimen have increased and decreased rCBF in the specific brain regions in drug-resistant depressed patients. Further analyses correlating clinical characteristics and treatment paradigm with functional imaging data may be helpful in clarifying the pathophysiology of drug-resistant patients.

Full Text Available Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS is a widely-used method for modulating cortical excitability in humans, by mechanisms thought to involve use-dependent synaptic plasticity. For example, when low frequency rTMS (LF rTMS is applied over the motor cortex, in humans, it predictably leads to a suppression of the motor evoked potential (MEP, presumably reflecting long-term depression (LTD -like mechanisms. Yet how closely such rTMS effects actually match LTD is unknown. We therefore sought to (1 reproduce cortico-spinal depression by LF rTMS in rats, (2 establish a reliable animal model for rTMS effects that may enable mechanistic studies, and (3 test whether LTD-like properties are evident in the rat LF rTMS setup. Lateralized MEPs were obtained from anesthetized Long-Evans rats. To test frequency-dependence of LF rTMS, rats underwent rTMS at one of three frequencies, 0.25, 0.5, or 1 Hz. We next tested the dependence of rTMS effects on N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor (NMDAR, by application of two NMDAR antagonists. We find that 1 Hz rTMS preferentially depresses unilateral MEP in rats, and that this LTD-like effect is blocked by NMDAR antagonists. These are the first electrophysiological data showing depression of cortical excitability following LF rTMS in rats, and the first to demonstrate dependence of this form of cortical plasticity on the NMDAR. We also note that our report is the first to show that the capacity for LTD-type cortical suppression by rTMS is present under barbiturate anesthesia, suggesting that future neuromodulatory rTMS applications under anesthesia may be considered.

Central poststroke pain (CPSP) is one of the most refractory chronic pain syndromes. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the primary motor cortex has been demonstrated to provide moderate pain relief for CPSP. However, the mechanism underlying the pain relief remains unclear. The objective of this study was to assess changes in cortical excitability in patients with intractable CPSP before and after rTMS of the primary motor cortex. Subjects were 21 patients with CPSP of the hand who underwent rTMS. The resting motor threshold, the amplitude of the motor evoked potential, duration of the cortical silent period, short interval intracortical inhibition, and intracortical facilitation were measured as parameters of cortical excitability before and after navigation-guided 5 Hz rTMS of the primary motor cortex corresponding to the painful hand. Pain reduction from rTMS was assessed with a visual analog scale. The same parameters were measured in both hemispheres of 8 healthy controls. Eight of 21 patients experienced ≥ 30% pain reduction after rTMS (responders). The resting motor threshold in the patients was higher than those in the controls at baseline (P=.035). Intracortical facilitation in the responders was lower than in the controls and the nonresponders at baseline (P=.035 and P=.019), and significantly increased after rTMS (P=.039). There were no significant differences or changes in the other parameters. Our findings suggest that restoration of abnormal cortical excitability might be one of the mechanisms underlying pain relief as a result of rTMS in CPSP.

Full Text Available A governing assumption about repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS has been that it interferes with task-related neuronal activity – in effect, by “injecting noise” into the brain – and thereby disrupts behavior. Recent reports of rTMS-produced behavioral enhancement, however, call this assumption into question. We investigated the neurophysiological effects of rTMS delivered during the delay period of a visual working memory task by simultaneously recording brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG. Subjects performed visual working memory for locations or for shapes, and in half the trials a 10-Hz train of rTMS was delivered to the superior parietal lobule or a control brain area. The wide range of individual differences in the effects of rTMS on task accuracy, from improvement to impairment, was predicted by individual differences in the effect of rTMS on power in the alpha-band of the EEG (~ 10 Hz: a decrease in alpha-band power corresponded to improved performance, whereas an increase in alpha-band power corresponded to the opposite. The EEG effect was localized to cortical sources encompassing the frontal eye fields and the intraparietal sulcus, and was specific to task (location, but not object memory and to rTMS target (superior parietal lobule, not control area. Furthermore, for the same task condition, rTMS-induced changes in cross-frequency phase synchrony between alpha- and gamma-band (> 40 Hz oscillations predicted changes in behavior. These results suggest that alpha-band oscillations play an active role cognitive processes and do not simply reflect absence of processing. Furthermore, this study shows that the complex effects of rTMS on behavior can result from biasing endogenous patterns of network-level oscillations.

Background:Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive technique used to alter cortex excitability that has been proposed as an efficient method for treating brain hyperexcitability or hypoexcitability disorders.The aim of this study was to investigate whether high-frequency rTMS could have any beneficial effects in restless legs syndrome (RLS).Methods:Fourteen patients with RLS were given high-frequency rTMS (15 Hz,100％ motor threshold) to the leg representation motor cortex area of the frontal lobe for 14 sessions over 18 days.Patients were diagnosed according to the international criteria proposed by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group in 2003.The International RLS Rating Scale (IRLS-RS),Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI),Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale were used to evaluate the severity of RLS,sleep quality,anxiety and depression,respectively.The scale scores were evaluated at four-time points (baseline,end of the 14th session,and at 1-and 2-month posttreatment).One-way analysis of variance was used to compare scale scores at different time points.Results:There was significant improvement in the IRLS-RS (from 23.86 ± 5.88 to 11.21 ± 7.23,P ＜ 0.05),PSQI (from 15.00 ± 4.88 to 9.29 ± 3.91,P ＜ 0.05),and HAMA (from 17.93 ± 7.11 to 10.36 ± 7.13,P ＜ 0.05) scale scores at the end of 14th session,with ongoing effects lasting for at least 2 months.Conclusions:High-frequency rTMS can markedly alleviate the motor system symptoms,sleep disturbances,and anxiety in RLS patients.These results suggest that rTMS might be an option for treating RLS.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is used to treat neurological diseases such as stroke and Parkinson's disease (PD). Although rTMS has been used clinically, its underlying therapeutic mechanism remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to clarify the neuroprotective effect and therapeutic mechanism of rTMS in an animal model of PD. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were unilaterally injected with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the right striatum. Rats with PD were then treated with rTMS (circular coil, 10 Hz, 20 min/day) daily for 4 weeks. Behavioral assessments such as amphetamine-induced rotational test and treadmill locomotion test were performed, and the dopaminergic (DA) neurons of substantia nigra pas compacta (SNc) and striatum were histologically examined. Expression of neurotrophic/growth factors was also investigated by multiplex ELISA, western blotting analysis and immunohistochemistry 4 weeks after rTMS application. Among the results, the number of amphetamine-induced rotations was significantly lower in the rTMS group than in the control group at 4 weeks post-treatment. Treadmill locomotion was also significantly improved in the rTMS-treated rats. Tyrosine hydroxylase-positive DA neurons and DA fibers in rTMS group rats were greater than those in untreated group in both ipsilateral SNc and striatum, respectively. The expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor were elevated in both the 6-OHDA-injected hemisphere and the SNc of the rTMS-treated rats. In conclusion, rTMS treatment improved motor functions and survival of DA neurons, suggesting that the neuroprotective effect of rTMS treatment might be induced by upregulation of neurotrophic/growth factors in the PD animal model.

The most widely used target for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Despite convergent evidence that the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) may be a promising alternative target for rTMS in TRD, its cognitive safety profile has not previously been assessed. Here, we applied 20 sessions of rTMS to the DMPFC in 21 TRD patients. Before and after treatment, a battery of neuropsychological tasks was administered to evaluate changes in cognition across three general cognitive domains: learning and memory, attention and processing speed, and cognitive flexibility. Subjects also completed the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HamD17) prior to and following treatment to measure changes in severity of depressive symptoms, and to assess the relationship between mood and cognitive performance over the course of treatment. No serious adverse effects or significant deterioration in cognitive performance were observed. Overall, subjects improved significantly on Stroop Inhibition/Switching and on Trails B, and this improvement was independent of the degree of improvement in depression symptoms. No domains or items significantly predicted clinical outcome, with the exception of baseline performance on Visual Elevator Accuracy. Clinical improvement correlated to improved performance in the overall domain of attention and processing speed, although this effect was not evident following covariate adjustment. DMPFC-rTMS did not produce any detectable cognitive adverse effects during treatment of TRD. Performance did not deteriorate significantly on any measures. Taken together, the present findings support the tolerability and cognitive safety of DMPFC-rTMS in refractory depression.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown promising results in treating individuals with behavioral disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder. A number of applications of rTMS to different regions of the left and right prefrontal cortex have been used to treat these disorders, but no study of treatment for MDD with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has been conducted with application of rTMS to both the left and right prefrontal cortex. We hypothesized that applying low-frequency rTMS to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) before applying it to the left DLPFC for the treatment of depression would be anxiolytic in patients with MDD with GAD. Thirteen adult patients with comorbid MDD and GAD received treatment with rTMS in an outpatient setting. The number of treatments ranged from 24 to 36 over 5 to 6 weeks. Response was defined as a ≥ 50% reduction in symptoms from baseline, and remission was defined as a score of depressive symptoms on the 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-21). At the end of the treatment period, for the GAD-7 scale, 11 out of 13 (84.6%) patients' anxiety symptoms were in remission, achieving a score of depressive symptoms. In this small pilot study of 13 patients with comorbid MDD and GAD, significant improvement in anxiety symptoms along with depressive symptoms was achieved in a majority of patients after bilateral rTMS application.

Objectives The aims of this study were to assess psychiatrists' knowledge of and attitudes toward repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in Saudi Arabia and to determine the contributing factors. Methods A quantitative observational cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey. The sample consisted of 96 psychiatrists in Saudi Arabia. A new valid and reliable questionnaire was developed. Results A total of 96 psychiatrists enrolled in the study, 81% of whom were men. Half of the participants were consultants. The sample mainly consisted of general psychiatrists (65%). The mean age of the participants was 37 years. The results showed that 80% of the psychiatrists had a sufficient level of knowledge about rTMS. Consultants had greater knowledge than residents. Training abroad was not significantly associated with the level of knowledge or the type of attitude. Most psychiatrists (79%) had a positive attitude toward rTMS. Only 53% of the psychiatrists said they would agree to receive rTMS if they experienced a psychotic depressive condition. A minority of psychiatrists (7%) said they would not refer their patients for rTMS. Conclusions Most of the psychiatrists surveyed had good knowledge of and a positive attitude toward rTMS. Those who had a high level of training and experience showed higher levels of knowledge. Articles were reported to be a better source for improving physician knowledge than textbooks. Having a family member or relative who was treated with rTMS positively affected psychiatrists' attitudes toward rTMS. PMID:27564426

Previous research has shown that low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor area and supplementary motor area can reduce L-dopa-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease; however, it involved only patients with peak-dose or diphasic dyskinesia. We report a case of a patient with severely painful off-period dystonia in the unilateral lower limb who underwent 0.9-Hz subthreshold repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over contralateral primary motor area and supplementary motor area. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor area significantly reduced the painful dystonia and walking disturbances but repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the supplementary motor area did not. The cortical silent period also prolonged after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor area. At 5 mos of approximately once a week repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor area, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score also improved. This report shows that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the inhibitory primary motor area can be useful for rehabilitating patients with Parkinson's disease with off-period dystonia and suggests that this treatment should be further verified in such patients.

Full Text Available Repetitive visual training paired with electrical activation of cholinergic projections to the primary visual cortex (V1 induces long-term enhancement of cortical processing in response to the visual training stimulus. To better determine the receptor subtypes mediating this effect the selective pharmacological blockade of V1 nicotinic (nAChR, M1 and M2 muscarinic (mAChR or GABAergic A (GABAAR receptors was performed during the training session and visual evoked potentials (VEPs were recorded before and after training. The training session consisted of the exposure of awake, adult rats to an orientation-specific 0.12 CPD grating paired with an electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain for a duration of 1 week for 10 minutes per day. Pharmacological agents were infused intracortically during this period. The post-training VEP amplitude was significantly increased compared to the pre-training values for the trained spatial frequency and to adjacent spatial frequencies up to 0.3 CPD, suggesting a long-term increase of V1 sensitivity. This increase was totally blocked by the nAChR antagonist as well as by an M2 mAChR subtype and GABAAR antagonist. Moreover, administration of the M2 mAChR antagonist also significantly decreased the amplitude of the control VEPs, suggesting a suppressive effect on cortical responsiveness. However, the M1 mAChR antagonist blocked the increase of the VEP amplitude only for the high spatial frequency (0.3 CPD, suggesting that M1 role was limited to the spread of the enhancement effect to a higher spatial frequency. More generally, all the drugs used did block the VEP increase at 0.3 CPD. Further, use of each of the aforementioned receptor antagonists blocked training-induced changes in gamma and beta band oscillations. These findings demonstrate that visual training coupled with cholinergic stimulation improved perceptual sensitivity by enhancing cortical responsiveness in V1. This enhancement is mainly mediated by n

The batch fermentation process, inoculated by pulsed electric field (PEF) treated wine yeasts (S. cerevisiae Actiflore F33), was studied. PEF treatment was applied to the aqueous yeast suspensions (0.12 % wt.) at the electric field strengths of E=100 and 6000 V/cm using the same pulse protocol (number of pulses of n=1000, pulse duration of ti=100 mks, and pulserepetition time of dt=100 ms). Electro-stimulation was confirmed by the observed growth of electrical conductivity of suspensions. The fermentation was running at 30{\\deg}C for 150 hours in an incubator with synchronic agitation. The obtained results clearly evidence the positive impact of PEF treatment on the batch fermentation process. Electro-stimulation resulted in improvement of such process characteristics as mass losses, consumption of soluble matter content ({\\deg}Brix) and synthesis of proteins. It also resulted in a noticeable acceleration of consumption of sugars at the initial stage of fermentation in the lag phase. At the end of the lag ph...

Objective. To study the features and mechanism of the cerebral evoked potentials by repetitivestimulation of calf muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients with obvious muscular dystrophy and psuedohypertrophy. Methods. Cerebral evoked potentials by stimulation of calf muscles and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) by the stimulation of posterior tibial nerves at ankle were measured in 10 patients with DMD and 10 normal controls matched with gender and age. The intensity of the magnetic stimulation was at 30％ of maximal output (2.1 Tesla, MagPro magnetic stimulator, Dantec) and the frequency was 1 Hz. The low intensity of magnetic stimulation was just sufficient to produce a contraction of the muscle belly underneath the coil. Recording electrode was placed at 2 cm posterior to the Cz, reference to Fpz. The latencies of N33, P38, N48 and P55 and amplitude (P38－ N48) were recorded. SEPs were recorded by routine methods. Results. In normal subjects, the amplitudes of cerebral evoked potentials by magnetic stimulation of calf muscle was 40％ lower than that by electrical stimulation of the posterior tibial nerves at ankle. The latency of P38 was 2.9± 2.1 ms longer compared with electrical stimulation of the posterior tibial nerves at ankle. In 6 patients, P38 latency from magnetic stimulation was remarkably prolonged (P<0.01), and in 4 patients, there was no remarkable response. SEPs evoked by electrical stimulation were normal in all of the patients.? Conclusion. DMD is an available model for the study of mechanism of cerebral evoked potentials by magnetic stimulating muscle. We can conclude that the responses from magnetic stimulation were produced by muscle input. The abnormal responses in patients may relate to decreased input of muscle by stimulating dystrophic and psedohypertrophic muscle.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive neurostimulatory technique widely used in research, diagnostics, and neuro-psychiatric therapy. Despite its growing popularity, basic molecular mechanisms underlying the clinical effects of rTMS have remained largely under-researched. Here, we present a human-derived neuronal cell culture system responsive to rTMS effects. SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were differentiated by retinoic acid treatment for 10 days, resulting in a neuronal phenotype characterized by upregulation of neuronal marker proteins and generation of an action potential in response to depolarizing current step injection. Repetitive magnetic stimulation of these cells resulted in increased intracellular cAMP levels and increased phosphorylation of transcription factor CREB. Pretreatment with ketamine (1 μM) potentiated, while pretreatment with lithium (2 mM) attenuated this cellular response to repetitive magnetic stimulation. In conclusion, we introduce here a novel in vitro system responding to rTMS at the level of second messenger signaling. The use of human-derived cells with neuron-like properties will prove useful for further studies on the cellular effects of rTMS.

Triple stimulation technique (TST) has previously shown that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) fails to activate a proportion of spinal motoneurons (MNs) during motor fatigue. The TST response depression without attenuation of the conventional motor evoked potential suggested increased prob...... the muscle is fatigued. Repetitive MN firing may provide an adaptive mechanism to maintain motor unit activation and task performance during sustained voluntary activity.......Triple stimulation technique (TST) has previously shown that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) fails to activate a proportion of spinal motoneurons (MNs) during motor fatigue. The TST response depression without attenuation of the conventional motor evoked potential suggested increased......-exercise behavior of QuadS responses was related to the duration of the contraction pointing to a correlation between repeated activation of MNs and the subject's ability to maintain force. In conclusion, the study confirmed that an increased fraction of spinal MNs fire more than once in response to TMS when...

Full Text Available Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS holds promise as a non-invasive therapy for the treatment of neurological disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, tinnitus, and epilepsy. Complex interdependencies between stimulus duration, frequency and intensity obscure the exact effects of rTMS stimulation on neural activity in the cortex, making evaluation of and comparison between rTMS studies difficult. To explain the influence of rTMS on neural activity (e.g. in the motor cortex, we use a neuronal network model. The results demonstrate that the model adequately explains experimentally observed short term effects of rTMS on the band power in common frequency bands used in electroencephalography (EEG. We show that the equivalent local field potential (eLFP band power depends on stimulation intensity rather than on stimulation frequency. Additionally, our model resolves contradictions in experiments.

Full Text Available Neuroplasticity underlies the brain’s ability to alter perception and behavior through training, practice, or simply exposure to sensory stimulation. Improvement of tactile discrimination has been repeatedly demonstrated after repetitive sensory stimulation (rSS of the fingers; however, it remains unknown if such protocols also affect hand dexterity or pain thresholds. We therefore stimulated the thumb and index finger of young adults to investigate, besides testing tactile discrimination, the impact of rSS on dexterity, pain, and touch thresholds. We observed an improvement in the pegboard task where subjects used the thumb and index finger only. Accordingly, stimulating 2 fingers simultaneously potentiates the efficacy of rSS. In fact, we observed a higher gain of discrimination performance as compared to a single-finger rSS. In contrast, pain and touch thresholds remained unaffected. Our data suggest that selecting particular fingers modulates the efficacy of rSS, thereby affecting processes controlling sensorimotor integration.

An extended repetitivelypulsed source of spontaneous UV radiation is fabricated, which may also be used for producing laser radiation. Voltage pulses with an incident wave amplitude of up to 30 kV, a half-amplitude duration of ~4 ns and a rise time of ~2.5 ns are applied to a gap with a nonuniform electric field. For an excitation region length of 35 cm and a nitrogen pressure of 30 - 760 Torr, a diffusive discharge up to a pulserepetition rate of 2 kHz is produced without using an additional system for gap preionisation. An investigation is made of the plasma of the run-away electron preionised diffuse discharge. Using a CCD camera it is found that the dense diffused plasma fills the gap in a time shorter than 1 ns. X-ray radiation is recorded from behind the foil anode throughout the pressure range under study; a supershort avalanche electron beam is recorded by the collector electrode at pressures below 100 Torr.

An extended repetitivelypulsed source of spontaneous UV radiation is fabricated, which may also be used for producing laser radiation. Voltage pulses with an incident wave amplitude of up to 30 kV, a half-amplitude duration of ∼4 ns and a rise time of ∼2.5 ns are applied to a gap with a nonuniform electric field. For an excitation region length of 35 cm and a nitrogen pressure of 30 – 760 Torr, a diffusive discharge up to a pulserepetition rate of 2 kHz is produced without using an additional system for gap preionisation. An investigation is made of the plasma of the run-away electron preionised diffuse discharge. Using a CCD camera it is found that the dense diffused plasma fills the gap in a time shorter than 1 ns. X-ray radiation is recorded from behind the foil anode throughout the pressure range under study; a supershort avalanche electron beam is recorded by the collector electrode at pressures below 100 Torr. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

In this study we have demonstrated an enhancement of cortically generated wave forms of the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) following magnetic pulsestimulation of the human brain. Subcortically generated activity was unaltered. The enhancement of SEP amplitude was greatest when the median nerve was stimulated 30-70 msec following magnetic pulsestimulation over the contralateral parietal scalp. We posit that the enhancement of the SEP is the result of synchronization of pyramidal cells in the sensorimotor cortex resulting from the magnetic pulse.

Silicon is one of the most abundant materials which is used in many areas of modern research and technology. A variety of those applications require surface nanopatterning with minimum structure defects. However, the high-quality nanostructuring of large areas of silicon surface at industrially acceptable speed is still a challenge. Here, we report a rapid formation of highly regular laser-induced periodic surface structures (HR-LIPSS) in the regime of strong ablation by infrared femtosecond laser pulses at sub-MHz repetition rate. Parameters of the laser-surface interactions and obtained experimental results suggest an important role of electrostatically assisted bond softening in initiating the HR-LIPSS formation.

The conditions of drilling and cutting of 0.15-mm-thick titanium and stainless steel plates in water with the radiation of a repetitivelypulsed Nd : YAG laser having the mean power up to 30 W are studied experimentally in the absence of water and gas jets. Dependences of the maximal cutting speed in water on the radiation power are obtained, the cutting efficiency is determined, and the comparison with the conditions of drilling and cutting of plates in air is carried out.

In the power-off phase, plasmas generated by repetitive short-pulse microwaves in a multicusp magnetic field show a transitive nature from interpulse to afterglow as a function of pulse duration t{sub w} = 20-200 {mu}s. The ionized medium can be driven from a highly non equilibrium to an equilibrium state inside the pulses, thereby dictating the behavior of the plasma in the power-off phase. Compared to afterglows, interpulse plasmas observed for t{sub w} < 50 {mu}s are characterized by a quasi-steady-state in electron density that persists for {approx} 20-40 {mu}s even after the end of the pulse and has a relatively slower decay rate ({approx} 4.3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} s{sup -1}) of the electron temperature, as corroborated by optical measurements. The associated electron energy probability function indicates depletion in low energy electrons which appear at higher energies just after the end of the pulse. The transition occurs at t{sub w} {approx} 50 {mu}s as confirmed by time evolution of integrated electron numbers densities obtained from the distribution function.

In the power-off phase, plasmas generated by repetitive short-pulse microwaves in a multicusp magnetic field show a transitive nature from interpulse to afterglow as a function of pulse duration tw = 20-200 μs. The ionized medium can be driven from a highly non equilibrium to an equilibrium state inside the pulses, thereby dictating the behavior of the plasma in the power-off phase. Compared to afterglows, interpulse plasmas observed for tw < 50 μs are characterized by a quasi-steady-state in electron density that persists for ˜ 20-40 μs even after the end of the pulse and has a relatively slower decay rate (˜ 4.3 × 104 s-1) of the electron temperature, as corroborated by optical measurements. The associated electron energy probability function indicates depletion in low energy electrons which appear at higher energies just after the end of the pulse. The transition occurs at tw ˜ 50 μs as confirmed by time evolution of integrated electron numbers densities obtained from the distribution function.

Pulserepetition rates and the number of laser pulses are among the most important parameters that do affect the analysis of solid materials by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, and the knowledge of their effects is of fundamental importance for suggesting analytical strategies when dealing with laser ablation processes of polymers. In this contribution, the influence of these parameters in the ablated mass and in the features of craters was evaluated in polypropylene and high density polyethylene plates containing pigment-based PbCrO{sub 4}. Surface characterization and craters profile were carried out by perfilometry and scanning electron microscopy. Area, volume and profile of craters were obtained using Taylor Map software. A laser induced breakdown spectroscopy system consisted of a Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 5 ns) and an Echelle spectrometer equipped with ICCD detector were used. The evaluated operating conditions consisted of 10, 25 and 50 laser pulses at 1, 5 and 10 Hz, 250 mJ/pulse (85 J cm{sup -2}), 2 {mu}s delay time and 6 {mu}s integration time gate. Differences in the topographical features among craters of both polymers were observed. The decrease in the repetition rate resulted in irregular craters and formation of edges, especially in polypropylene sample. The differences in the topographical features and ablated masses were attributed to the influence of the degree of crystallinity, crystalline melting temperature and glass transition temperature in the ablation process of the high density polyethylene and polypropylene. It was also observed that the intensities of chromium and lead emission signals obtained at 10 Hz were two times higher than at 5 Hz by keeping the number of laser pulses constant.

Magnetic stimulation is a standard tool in brain research and many fields of neurology, as well as psychiatry. From a physical perspective, one key aspect of this method is the inefficiency of available setups. Whereas the spatial field properties have been studied rather intensively with coil designs, the dynamics have been neglected almost completely for a long time. Instead, the devices and their technology defined the waveform. Here, an analysis of the waveform space is performed. Based on these data, an appropriate optimisation approach is outlined which makes use of a modern nonlinear axon description of a mammalian motor nerve. The approach is based on a hybrid global-local method; different coordinate systems for describing the continuous waveforms in a limited parameter space are defined for sufficient stability. The results of the numeric setup suggest that there is plenty of room for waveforms with higher efficiency than the traditional shapes. One class of such pulses is analysed further. Although...

Five congenital and 52 acquired nonunions of bone were stimulated using an invasive device. The unit delivered a constant but pulsed right-angled current of positive polarity measuring 20 to 25 muAmps (voltage of 750 mV) and a frequency of 20 Hz. The power pack encapsulated in epoxy resin was implanted at the time of operative fragment stabilization. THe cathode was inserted at the site of the nonunion gap. After two to 12 months, all but two of the acquired nonunions and one of the congenital pseudarthroses healed. In the unsuccessful cases, the bone ends were often totally necrotic. Four cases required reimplantation because of broken wires or expiration of the battery, and two cases failed owing to purulent infection. Electrostimulation is an adjuvant treatment to fragment stabilization in hyporeactive and hypovascular or congenital pseudarthroses. Electrical stimuli may be assumed to simulate conditions which are essential for bone healing.

Brief pulse electroconvulsive therapy (BP ECT; pulse width 0.5-1.5ms) is a very effective treatment for severe depression but is associated with cognitive side-effects. It has been proposed that ultrabrief pulse (UBP; pulse width 0.25-0.30ms) ECT may be as effective as BP ECT but have less cognitive effects because it is a more physiological form of neuronal stimulation. To investigate this further, we treated normal rats with a 10 session course of either BP (0.5ms), UBP (0.3ms), or sham electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS) and measured antidepressant-related changes in dentate gyrus cell proliferation and hippocampal BDNF protein levels as well as hippocampal-dependant spatial reference memory using the water plus maze and immobility time on the forced swim test. Both BP and UBP ECS induced very similar types of motor seizures. However, BP ECS but not UBP ECS treatment led to a significant, near 3-fold, increase in cell proliferation (p=0.026) and BDNF levels (p=0.01). In the forced swim test, only BP ECS treated animals had a significantly lower immobility time (p=0.046). There was a trend for similarly reduced hippocampal-dependent memory function in both BP and UBP groups but overall there was not a significant difference between treatment and control animals when tested 10 days after completing allocated treatment. These findings show that, even though both forms of ECS elicited similar motor seizures, UBP ECS was less efficient than BP ECS in inducing antidepressant-related molecular, cellular and behavioural changes.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the human brain can lead to long-lasting changes in cortical excitability. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms which underlie rTMS-induced plasticity remain incompletely understood. Here, we used repetitive magnetic stimulation (rMS) of mouse entorhino-hippocampal slice cultures to study rMS-induced plasticity of excitatory postsynapses. By employing whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of CA1 pyramidal neurons, local electrical stimulations, immunostainings for the glutamate receptor subunit GluA1 and compartmental modeling, we found evidence for a preferential potentiation of excitatory synapses on proximal dendrites of CA1 neurons (2-4 h after stimulation). This rMS-induced synaptic potentiation required the activation of voltage-gated sodium channels, L-type voltage-gated calcium channels and N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptors. In view of these findings we propose a cellular model for the preferential strengthening of excitatory synapses on proximal dendrites following rMS in vitro, which is based on a cooperative effect of synaptic glutamatergic transmission and postsynaptic depolarization.

A novel solid-state modulator capable of generating rapid consecutive power pulses is constructed to facilitate experiments on plasma interaction with high power microwave pulses. The modulator is designed to output a 100 kHz tone burst, which consists of up to 10 pulses, each with 1 μs duration and 1 MW peak power. The pulses are formed by discharging a total of 480 μF capacitors through 24 synchronized MOSFETs and 6 step-up transformers. The highly modular design, as a replacement of an old single-pulse version used in earlier experiments which employs a pulse forming network, brings great flexibility and wide potential to its application. A systematic cost-effectiveness analysis is also presented.

Studies related to the effect of pre-ionizer on laser output energy of a repetitivelypulsed KrF laser are presented. The dependence of laser output energy, spectral width and beam spot homogeneity on pre-ionization parameters, namely its current and voltage rise time are reported here. Here, effectiveness of pre-ionization is optimized by improving pre-ionization current and rise time of the pump pulse of the automatic UV pre-ionizer KrF laser. It is observed that by increasing pre-ionization current from 6 kA to 10.6 kA, the output energy increases by about 30% (from 100 to 130 mJ). It is also observed that the emission spectral width reduces by almost 60% by increasing the pre-ionization current. Regular homogeneous and well-developed beam spot (nearly Hat-Top profile) was achieved under these optimized conditions.

We report on an experimental demonstration of laser wakefield electron acceleration using a sub-TW power laser by tightly focusing 30-fs laser pulses with only 8 mJ pulse energy on a 100 \\mu m scale gas target. The experiments are carried out at an unprecedented 0.5 kHz repetition rate, allowing "real time" optimization of accelerator parameters. Well-collimated and stable electron beams with a quasi-monoenergetic peak in excess of 100 keV are measured. Particle-in-cell simulations show excellent agreement with the experimental results and suggest an acceleration mechanism based on electron trapping on the density downramp, due to the time varying phase velocity of the plasma waves.

A high-power femtosecond Yb:fiber amplifier operating with exceptional noise performance and long-term stability is demonstrated. It generates a 10-MHz train of 145-fs pulses at 1.03 μm with peak powers above 36 MW. The system features a relative amplitude noise of 1.5·10⁻⁶ Hz(-1/2) at 1 MHz and drifts of the 60-W average power below 0.3% over 72 hours of continuous operation. The passively phase-stable Er:fiber seed system provides ultrabroadband pulses that are synchronized at a repetition rate of 40 MHz. This combination aims at new schemes for sensitive experiments in ultrafast scientific applications.

We report on new results of a search for a two-photon interaction with axionlike particles (ALPs). The experiment is carried out at a synchrotron radiation facility using a "light shining through a wall (LSW)" technique. For this purpose, we develop a novel pulsed-magnet system, composed of multiple racetrack magnets and a transportable power supply. It produces fields of about 10 T over 0.8 m with a high repetition rate of 0.2 Hz and yields a new method of probing a vacuum with high intensity fields. The data obtained with a total of 27 676 pulses provide a limit on the ALP-two-photon coupling constant that is more stringent by a factor of 5.2 compared to a previous x-ray LSW limit for the ALP mass ≲0.1 eV .

We report on new results of a search for two-photon interaction with axionlike particles (ALPs). The experiment was carried out at a synchrotron radiation facility using a "light shining through a wall (LSW)" technique. For this purpose, we have developed a novel pulsed-magnet system, composed of multiple racetrack-magnets and a transportable power supply. It produces fields of about 10 T over 0.8 m with a high repetition rate of 0.2 Hz and yields a new method of probing vacuum with high intensity fields. The data obtained with a total of 27,676 pulses provide a limit on the ALP-two-photon coupling constant that is more stringent by a factor of 5.2 compared to a previous x-ray LSW limit for the ALP mass below 0.1 eV.

Cortical and spinal cord plasticity may be induced with non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation to encourage long term potentiation or depression of neuronal circuits. Such plasticity inducing stimulation provides an attractive approach to promote changes in sensorimotor circuits that have been degraded by spinal cord injury (SCI). If residual corticospinal circuits can be conditioned appropriately there should be the possibility that the changes are accompanied by functional recovery. This article reviews the attempts that have been made to restore sensorimotor function and to obtain functional benefits from the application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the cortex following incomplete spinal cord injury. The confounding issues that arise with the application of rTMS, specifically in SCI, are enumerated. Finally, consideration is given to the potential for rTMS to be used in the restoration of bladder and bowel sphincter function and consequent functional recovery of the guarding reflex. PMID:24904326

Gas-filled ionization chambers are widely used radiation detectors in radiotherapy. A quantitative description and correction of the recombination effects exists for two cases, for continuous radiation exposure and for pulsed radiation fields with short single pulses. This work gives a derivation of a formula for pulsed beams with arbitrary pulse rate for which the prerequisites of the two existing descriptions are not fulfilled. Furthermore, an extension of the validity of the two known cases is investigated. The temporal evolution of idealized charge density distributions within a plane parallel chamber volume is described for pulsed beams of vanishing pulse duration and arbitrary pulserepetition rate. First, the radiation induced release, movement and collection of the charge carriers without recombination are considered. Then, charge recombination is calculated basing on these simplified charge distributions and the time dependent spatial overlap of positive and negative charge carrier distributions. Finally, a formula for the calculation of the saturation correction factor is derived by calculation and simplification of the first two terms of a Taylor expansion for small recombination. The new formula of saturation correction contains the two existing cases, descriptions for exposure by single pulses and continuous irradiation, as limiting cases. Furthermore, it is possible to determine the pulse rate range for which each of the three descriptions is applicable by comparing the dependencies of the new formula with the two existing cases. As long as the time between two pulses is lower than one third of the collection time of the chamber, the formalism for a continuous exposure can be used. The known description for single pulse irradiation is only valid if the repetition rate is less than 1.2 times the inverse collection time. For all other repetition rates in between the new formula should be used. The experimental determination by Jaffe diagrams can be

Gas-filled ionization chambers are widely used radiation detectors in radiotherapy. A quantitative description and correction of the recombination effects exists for two cases, for continuous radiation exposure and for pulsed radiation fields with short single pulses. This work gives a derivation of a formula for pulsed beams with arbitrary pulse rate for which the prerequisites of the two existing descriptions are not fulfilled. Furthermore, an extension of the validity of the two known cases is investigated. The temporal evolution of idealized charge density distributions within a plane parallel chamber volume is described for pulsed beams of vanishing pulse duration and arbitrary pulserepetition rate. First, the radiation induced release, movement and collection of the charge carriers without recombination are considered. Then, charge recombination is calculated basing on these simplified charge distributions and the time dependent spatial overlap of positive and negative charge carrier distributions. Finally, a formula for the calculation of the saturation correction factor is derived by calculation and simplification of the first two terms of a Taylor expansion for small recombination. The new formula of saturation correction contains the two existing cases, descriptions for exposure by single pulses and continuous irradiation, as limiting cases. Furthermore, it is possible to determine the pulse rate range for which each of the three descriptions is applicable by comparing the dependencies of the new formula with the two existing cases. As long as the time between two pulses is lower than one third of the collection time of the chamber, the formalism for a continuous exposure can be used. The known description for single pulse irradiation is only valid if the repetition rate is less than 1.2 times the inverse collection time. For all other repetition rates in between the new formula should be used. The experimental determination by Jaffe diagrams can be

This paper reports on the quantification of the heating induced by nanosecond repetitivelypulsed (NRP) glow discharges on a lean premixed methane-air flame. The flame, obtained at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, has an M-shape morphology. The equivalence ratio is 0.95 and the thermal power released by the flame is 113 W. The NRP glow discharges are produced by high voltage pulses of 10 ns duration, 7 kV amplitude, applied at a repetition frequency of 10 kHz. The average power of the plasma, determined from current and voltage measurements, is 1 W, i.e. about 0.9 % of the thermal power of the flame. Broadband vibrational coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy of nitrogen is used to determine the temperature of the flame with and without plasma enhancement. The temperature evolution in the flame area shows that the thermal impact of NRP glow discharges is in the uncertainty range of the technique, i.e., +/- 40 K.

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to determine whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can improve sensory recovery of the lower extremities in subacute-stage spinal cord injury patients. [Subjects and Methods] This study was conducted on 20 subjects with diagnosed paraplegia due to spinal cord injury. These 20 subjects were allocated to an experimental group of 10 subjects that underwent active repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation or to a control group of 10 subjects that underwent sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. The SCI patients in the experimental group underwent active repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and conventional rehabilitation therapy, whereas the spinal cord injury patients in the control group underwent sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and conventional rehabilitation therapy. Participants in both groups received therapy five days per week for six-weeks. Latency, amplitude, and sensory nerve conduction velocity were assessed before and after the six week therapy period. [Results] A significant intergroup difference was observed for posttreatment velocity gains, but no significant intergroup difference was observed for amplitude or latency. [Conclusion] repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation may be improve sensory recovery of the lower extremities in subacute-stage spinal cord injury patients.

Surface modifications of toughened, fine-grained, recrystallized tungsten (TFGR W) materials with 1.1 wt.% TiC and 3.3 wt.% TaC dispersoids due to repetitive ELM-like pulsed (∼0.15 ms) helium plasma irradiation have been investigated by using a magnetized coaxial plasma gun. No surface cracking at the center part of the TFGR W samples exposed to 20 plasma pulses of ∼0.3 MJ m-2 was observed. The suppression of surface crack formation due to the increase of the grain boundary strength by addition of TiC and TaC dispersoids was confirmed in comparison with a pure W material. On the other hand, surface cracks and small pits appeared at the edge part of the TFGR W sample after the pulsed plasma irradiation. Erosion of the TiC and TaC dispersoids due to the pulsed plasma irradiation could cause the small pits on the surface, resulting in the surface crack formation.

Surface modifications of toughened, fine-grained, recrystallized tungsten (TFGR W) materials with 1.1 wt.% TiC and 3.3 wt.% TaC dispersoids due to repetitive ELM-like pulsed (∼0.15 ms) helium plasma irradiation have been investigated by using a magnetized coaxial plasma gun. No surface cracking at the center part of the TFGR W samples exposed to 20 plasma pulses of ∼0.3 MJ m{sup −2} was observed. The suppression of surface crack formation due to the increase of the grain boundary strength by addition of TiC and TaC dispersoids was confirmed in comparison with a pure W material. On the other hand, surface cracks and small pits appeared at the edge part of the TFGR W sample after the pulsed plasma irradiation. Erosion of the TiC and TaC dispersoids due to the pulsed plasma irradiation could cause the small pits on the surface, resulting in the surface crack formation.

The field of non-invasive brain stimulation has developed significantly over the last two decades. Though two techniques of noninvasive brain stimulation--transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)--are becoming established tools for research in neuroscience and for some clinical applications, related techniques that also show some promising clinical results have not been developed at the same pace. One of these related techniques is cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES), a class of transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS). In order to understand further the mechanisms of CES, we aimed to model CES using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived finite element head model including cortical and also subcortical structures. Cortical electric field (current density) peak intensities and distributions were analyzed. We evaluated different electrode configurations of CES including in-ear and over-ear montages. Our results confirm that significant amounts of current pass the skull and reach cortical and subcortical structures. In addition, depending on the montage, induced currents at subcortical areas, such as midbrain, pons, thalamus and hypothalamus are of similar magnitude than that of cortical areas. Incremental variations of electrode position on the head surface also influence which cortical regions are modulated. The high-resolution modeling predictions suggest that details of electrode montage influence current flow through superficial and deep structures. Finally we present laptop based methods for tPCS dose design using dominant frequency and spherical models. These modeling predictions and tools are the first step to advance rational and optimized use of tPCS and CES.

The ETA-II linear induction accelerator utilizes four pulse power conditioning chains. Magnetic pulse compression modulators (MAG1-Ds) form the last stage of each chain. A single power conditioning chain is used to drive the injector; the remaining three are used to drive 60 accelerator cells. Nominal parameters of the MAG1-D are an output voltage of greater than 120 kV, pulse width of 70 ns, and an output impedance of 2 ohms. Our operations goal for ETA-II is stable high average power operation at 5 kHz PRF. We have begun upgrading and characterizing the power conditioning chain on our High Average Power Test Stand (HAPTS). On HAPTS, the pulse to pulse amplitude stability has been improved to less than 0.7% (one sigma) and of order 3-5 ns random jitter about a systematic timing variation. In this paper we describe the status of our work to achieve the this paper we describe the status of our work to achieve the average power operation of ETA-II

Chronic pain resulting from injury of the peripheral or central nervous system may be associated with a significant dysfunction of extensive neural networks. Noninvasive stimulation techniques, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be suitable to treat chronic pain as they can act on these networks by modulating neural activities not only in the stimulated area, but also in remote regions that are interconnected to the site of stimulation. Motor cortex was the first cortical target that was proved to be efficacious in chronic pain treatment. At present, significant analgesic effects were also shown to occur after the stimulation of other cortical targets (including prefrontal and parietal areas) in acute provoked pain, chronic neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, or visceral pain. Therapeutic applications of rTMS in pain syndromes are limited by the short duration of the induced effects, but prolonged pain relief can be obtained by repeating rTMS sessions every day for several weeks. Recent tDCS studies also showed some effects on various types of chronic pain. We review the evidence to date of these two techniques of noninvasive brain stimulation for the treatment of pain.

To determine effect and safety of ultra-low frequency and high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on treating vascular Parkinson's syndrome (VPS) after stroke. The 0.1 Hz low frequency (n=21) and 5 Hz high frequency (n=21) rTMS were used to treat patients with VPS, and the false stimulation servered as a control group (n=18). The UPDRS score and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ) were chosen to evaluate the curative effect on PD. The patients were given anti-PD drugs continuously during the treatment. UPDRS scores as well as I, II, and III scores after the treatment were significantly decreased in both the ultra-low frequency group and the high frequency group compared with those before the treatment (all Pfrequency and the high frequency group at the same time point before and after the treatment (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in UPDRS scores between before and after the treatment in the control group (P>0.05), but PDQ scores were significantly decreased at the third month after the treatment compared with those of before and after treatment (Pfrequency and high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can safely improve the clinical symptoms and life quality of patients with VPS.

We investigate the temporally resolved evolution of the nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in a moderate 6mm gap under various pressures and pulserepetition frequencies (PRFs) by intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) images, using synthetic air and its components oxygen and nitrogen. It is found that the pressures are very different when the DBD mode transits between uniform and filamentary in air, oxygen, and nitrogen. The PRFs can also obviously affect the mode-transition. The transition mechanism in the pulsed DBD is not Townsend-to-streamer, which is dominant in the traditional alternating-voltage DBDs. The pulsed DBD in a uniform mode develops in the form of plane ionization wave, due to overlap of primary avalanches, while the increase in pressure disturbs the overlap and DBD develops in streamer instead, corresponding to the filamentary mode. Increasing the initiatory electron density by pre-ionization methods may contribute to discharge uniformity at higher pressures. We also find that the dependence of uniformity upon PRF is non-monotonic.

In this paper, we investigate the temporally resolved evolution of the nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in a moderate 6 mm discharge gap under various pressures and pulserepetition frequencies (PRFs) by intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) images, using dry air and its components oxygen and nitrogen. It is found that the pressures are very different when the mode transits between uniform and filamentary in air, oxygen, and nitrogen. The PRFs can also obviously affect the mode-transition. The transition mechanism in the pulsed DBD is not Townsend-to-Streamer, which is dominant in the traditional alternating-voltage DBD. The pulsed DBD in a uniform mode develops in the form of plane ionization wave due to overlap of primary avalanches, while the increase in pressure disturbs the overlap and discharge develops in streamer, corresponding to the filamentary mode. Increasing the initial electron density by pre-ionization may contribute to discharge uniformity at higher pressures. We also found that the dependence of homogeneity upon PRF is a non-monotonic one.

The development of non-invasive techniques of cortical stimulation, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), has opened new potential avenues for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases. We hypothesized that an increase in the activity in the motor cortex by cortical stimulation would increase its inhibitory influence on spinal…

The development of non-invasive techniques of cortical stimulation, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), has opened new potential avenues for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases. We hypothesized that an increase in the activity in the motor cortex by cortical stimulation would increase its inhibitory influence on spinal…

This report summarizes a study of the acoustical characteristics of a closed loop duct system for pulsed lasers with emphasis on acoustic suppression technology. Several topics are considered involving wave propagation reflection and attenuation in a shock tube, in which pulse waves are generated, simulating those in a pulsed laser system. A detailed analysis of the design of parallel-baffle attenuators for suppression of acoustic waves is given, allowing for the contributions of the reflection transmitted and reverberant contributions to the sound pressure field in the optical cavity.

Low frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has previously been applied to language homologues in non-fluent populations of persons with aphasia yielding significant improvements in behavioral language function up to 43 months post stimulation. The present study aimed to investigate the electrophysiological correlates associated with the application of rTMS through measurement of the semantic based N400 Event-related brain potentials (ERP) component. Low frequency (1 Hz) rTMS was applied to the anterior portion of the homologue to Broca's area (pars triangularis), for 20 min per day for 10 days, using a stereotactic neuronavigational system. Twelve non-fluent persons with aphasia, 2-6 years post stroke were stimulated. Six participants were randomly assigned to receive real stimulation and six participants were randomly assigned to receive a blind sham control condition. ERP measures were recorded at baseline, 1 week and 2 months subsequent to stimulation. The findings demonstrate treatment related changes observed in the stimulation group when compared to the placebo control group at 2 months post stimulation indicating neuromodulation of N400 as a result of rTMS. No treatment related changes were identified in the stimulation group, when compared to the sham group from baseline to 1 week post stimulation. The electrophysiological results represent the capacity of rTMS to modulate neural language networks and measures of lexical-semantic function in participants with non-fluent aphasia and suggest that time may be an important factor in brain reorganization subsequent to rTMS.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to induce adaptations in cortical neuronal circuitries. In the present study we investigated whether rTMS, through its effect on corticospinal pathways, also produces adaptations at the spinal level, and what the neuronal mechanisms...... that the depression of the H-reflex by rTMS can be explained, at least partly, by an increased presynaptic inhibition of soleus Ia afferents. In contrast, rTMS had no effect on disynaptic reciprocal Ia inhibition from ankle dorsiflexors to plantarflexors. We conclude that a train of rTMS may modulate transmission...

Background Little is known about the effects of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on dysmnesia and the impact of brain nucleotide neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). This study investigated the impact of low-frequency rTMS on post-stroke dysmnesia and the impact of BDNF Val66Met SNP. Material/Methods Forty patients with post-stroke dysmnesia were prospectively randomized into the rTMS and sham groups. BDNF Val66Met SNP was ...

The first pilot study on the effects of electric pulsestimulation on larger cod carried out in 2008 was based on a single nominal setting of the Verburg-Holland UK153 pulse system with the intention to determine the range of pulse characteristics with which injuries to the fish occurred. This study

A high pulserepetition frequency ultrasound system for an ex vivo measurement of mechanical properties of an animal crystalline lens was developed and validated. We measured the bulk displacement of laser-induced microbubbles created at different positions within the lens using nanosecond laser pulses. An impulsive acoustic radiation force was applied to the microbubble, and spatio-temporal measurements of the microbubble displacement were assessed using a custom-made high pulserepetition frequency ultrasound system consisting of two 25 MHz focused ultrasound transducers. One of these transducers was used to emit a train of ultrasound pulses and another transducer was used to receive the ultrasound echoes reflected from the microbubble. The developed system was operating at 1 MHz pulserepetition frequency. Based on the measured motion of the microbubble, Young's moduli of surrounding tissue were reconstructed and the values were compared with those measured using the indentation test. Measured values of Young's moduli of four bovine lenses ranged from 2.6 ± 0.1 to 26 ± 1.4 kPa, and there was good agreement between the two methods. Therefore, our studies, utilizing the high pulserepetition frequency ultrasound system, suggest that the developed approach can be used to assess the mechanical properties of ex vivo crystalline lenses. Furthermore, the potential of the presented approach for in vivo measurements is discussed.

Repetitive magnetic stimulation is a neuropsychiatric and neurorehabilitation tool that can be used to investigate the neurobiology of sensory and motor functions. Few studies have examined the effects of repetitive magnetic stimulation on the modulation of neurotrophic/growth factors and neuronal cells in vitro. Therefore, the current study examined the differential effects of repetitive magnetic stimulation on neuronal cell proliferation as well as various growth factor expression. Immortalized mouse neuroblastoma cells were used as the cell model in this study. Dishes of cultured cells were randomly divided into control, sham, low-frequency (0.5Hz, 1Tesla) and high-frequency (10Hz, 1Tesla) groups (n=4 dishes/group) and were stimulated for 3 days. Expression of neurotrophic/growth factors, Akt and Erk was investigated by Western blotting analysis 3 days after repetitive magnetic stimulation. Neuroblastoma cell proliferation was determined with a cell counting assay. There were differences in cell proliferation based on stimulus frequency. Low-frequency stimulation did not alter proliferation relative to the control, while high-frequency stimulation elevated proliferation relative to the control group. The expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) were elevated in the high-frequency magnetic stimulation group. Akt and Erk expression was also significantly elevated in the high-frequency stimulation group, while low-frequency stimulation decreased the expression of Akt and Erk compared to the control. In conclusion, we determined that different frequency magnetic stimulation had an influence on neuronal cell proliferation via regulation of Akt and ERK signaling pathways and the expression of growth factors such as BDNF, GDNF, NT-3 and PDGF. These findings represent a promising opportunity to gain insight into how different

Bystander effect, a known phenomenon in radiation biology, where irradiated cells release signals which cause damage to nearby, unirradiated cells, has not been explored in electroporated cells yet. Therefore, our aim was to determine whether bystander effect is present in electroporated melanoma cells in vitro, by determining viability of non-electroporated cells exposed to medium from electroporated cells and by the release of microvesicles as potential indicators of the bystander effect. Here, we demonstrated that electroporation of cells induces bystander effect: Cells exposed to electric pulses mediated their damage to the non-electroporated cells, thus decreasing cell viability. We have shown that shedding microvesicles may be one of the ways used by the cells to mediate the death signals to the neighboring cells. The murine melanoma B16F1 cell line was found to be more electrosensitive and thus more prone to bystander effect than the canine melanoma CMeC-1 cell line. In B16F1 cell line, bystander effect was present above the level of electropermeabilization of the cells, with the threshold at 800 V/cm. Furthermore, with increasing electric field intensities and the number of pulses, the bystander effect also increased. In conclusion, electroporation can induce bystander effect which may be mediated by microvesicles, and depends on pulse amplitude, repetition frequency and cell type.

Objectives: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common and debilitating anxiety disorders. However, few studies had been dedicated to the neurobiology underlying SAD until the last decade. Rates of non-responders to standard methods of treatment remain unsatisfactorily high of approximately 25%, including SAD. Advances in our understanding of SAD could lead to new treatment strategies. A potential non invasive therapeutic option is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Thus, we reported two cases of SAD treated with rTMS Methods: The bibliographical search used Pubmed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge and Scielo databases. The terms chosen for the search were: anxiety disorders, neuroimaging, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Results: In most of the studies conducted on anxiety disorders, except SAD, the right prefrontal cortex (PFC), more specifically dorsolateral PFC was stimulated, with marked results when applying high-rTMS compared with studies stimulating the opposite side. However, according to the “valence hypothesis”, anxiety disorders might be characterized by an interhemispheric imbalance associated with increased right-hemispheric activity. With regard to the two cases treated with rTMS, we found a decrease in BDI, BAI and LSAS scores from baseline to follow-up. Conclusion: We hypothesize that the application of low-rTMS over the right medial PFC (mPFC; the main structure involved in SAD circuitry) combined with high-rTMS over the left mPFC, for at least 4 weeks on consecutive weekdays, may induce a balance in brain activity, opening an attractive therapeutic option for the treatment of SAD. PMID:24278088

Case reports and an open trial have reported promising responses to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to prefrontal and temporo-parietal sites in patients with depersonalization disorder (DPD). We recently showed that a single session of rTMS to the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) was associated with a reduction in symptoms and increase in physiological arousal. Seven patients with medication-resistant DSM-IV DPD received up to 20 sessions of right-sided rTMS to the VLPFC for 10 weeks. Stimulation was guided using neuronavigation software based on participants' individual structural MRIs, and delivered at 110% of resting motor threshold. A session consisted of 1Hz repetitive TMS for 15min. The primary outcome measure was reduction in depersonalization symptoms on the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS). Secondary outcomes included scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). 20 sessions of rTMS treatment to right VLPFC significantly reduced scores on the CDS by on average 44% (range 2-83.5%). Two patients could be classified as "full responders", four as "partial" and one a non-responder. Response usually occurred within the first 6 sessions. There were no significant adverse events. A randomized controlled clinical trial of VLPFC rTMS for DPD is warranted.

Background: There is growing evidence of potential benefits of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the rehabilitation of dysphagia. However, the site and frequency of stimulation for optimal effects are not clear. Aims: The aim of this pilot study is to investigate the short-term effects of high-frequency 5 Hz rTMS applied to…

Background: There is growing evidence of potential benefits of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the rehabilitation of dysphagia. However, the site and frequency of stimulation for optimal effects are not clear. Aims: The aim of this pilot study is to investigate the short-term effects of high-frequency 5 Hz rTMS applied to…

A laser pulse temporal compression technique combining stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and laser-induced breakdown (LIB) is proposed in which the leading edge of the laser pulse is compressed using SBS, and the low intensity trailing edge of the laser pulse is truncated by LIB. The feasibility of the proposed scheme is demonstrated by experiments in which a pulse duration of 8 ns is compressed to 170 ps. Higher compression ratios and higher efficiency are expected under optimal experimental conditions.

We demonstrate a technique of hyperspectral imaging in stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy using a tunable optical filter, whose transmission wavelength can be varied quickly by a galvanometer mirror. Experimentally, broadband Yb fiber laser pulses are synchronized with picosecond Ti:sapphire pulses, and then spectrally filtered out by the filter. After amplification by fiber amplifiers, we obtain narrowband pulses with a spectral width of 225 cm(-1). By using these pulses, we accomplish SRS imaging of polymer beads with spectral information.

A combination of Er/Yb:fiber and Yb:thin-disk technology produces 615 fs pulses at 1030 nm with an average output power of 72 W. The regenerative amplifier allows variation of the repetition rate between 3 and 5 kHz with pulse energies from 13 to 17 mJ. A broadband and intense seed provided by the compact and versatile fiber front-end minimizes gain narrowing. The resulting sub-ps performance is ideal for nonlinear frequency conversion and pulse compression. Operating in the upper branch of a bifurcated pulse train, the system exhibits exceptional noise performance and stability.

We investigated the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied either during one session of stimulation, or by ten sessions of low-frequency stimulation over the left parietal cortex, on hemispatial neglect in stroke patients. We enrolled 34 subjects that had experienced a stroke. All subjects received 1,200 real rTMS over the left parietal cortex at an intensity of 90% of motor thresholds with 1 Hz. Subjects were divided into two groups. One group of subjects (n = 19) received real rTMS over the left parietal cortex in a single session of stimulation, and the other group (n = 15), underwent a total of ten sessions of daily stimulations for 2 weeks. Letter cancelation test, line bisection test, and Ota's task were administered to compare the effects of different rTMS protocols, before and after rTMS. The results showed no difference in baseline value between the single session group and the ten sessions group. Total ten sessions of low-frequency rTMS over the left parietal cortex, compared with the single session of rTMS, significantly improved hemispatial neglect in letter cancelation, line bisection, and Ota's task (P rTMS can be used in treatment by rTMS for patients suffering from hemispatial neglect after stroke.

We present a high-power, MHz-repetition-rate, phase-stable femtosecond laser system based on a phase-stabilized Ti:Sa oscillator and a multi-stage Yb-fiber chirped-pulse power amplifier. A 10-nm band around 1030 nm is split from the 7-fs oscillator output and serves as the seed for subsequent amplification by 54 dB to 80 W of average power. The µJ-level output is spectrally broadened in a solid-core fiber and compressed to 30 fs with chirped mirrors. A pulse picker prior to power amplification allows for decreasing the repetition rate from 74 MHz by a factor of up to 4 without affecting the pulse parameters. To compensate for phase jitter added by the amplifier to the feed-forward phase-stabilized seeding pulses, a self-referencing feed-back loop is implemented at the system output. An integrated out-of-loop phase noise of less than 100 mrad was measured in the band from 0.4 Hz to 400 kHz, which to the best of our knowledge corresponds to the highest phase stability ever demonstrated for high-power, multi-MHz-repetition-rate ultrafast lasers. This system will enable experiments in attosecond physics at unprecedented repetition rates, it offers ideal prerequisites for the generation and field-resolved electro-optical sampling of high-power, broadband infrared pulses, and it is suitable for phase-stable white light generation.

The dependence on wavelength of repetitive-pulse (10 Hz, 8-10 ns) laser-induced damage on beta barium metaborate (BBO) has been investigated. The thresholds of dielectric breakdown in bulk crystal have been found to be 0.3 GW/cm(2) at 266 nm, 0.9 GW/cm(2) at 355 nm, 2.3 GW/cm(2) at 532 nm, and 4.5 GW/cm(2) at 1064 nm. Results indicate two-photon absorption at 266 and 355 nm, which helps to produce an avalanche effect that causes breakdown at each of the four wavelengths tested. Neither the BBO refractive indices nor the absorption spectrum change until breakdown occurs.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) modulates processing in the human brain and is therefore of interest as a treatment modality for neurologic conditions. During TMS administration, an electric current passing through a coil on the scalp creates a rapidly varying magnetic field that induces currents in the cerebral cortex. The effects of low-frequency (1 Hz), repetitive TMS (rTMS) on motor cortex cerebral blood flow (CBF) and tissue oxygenation in seven healthy adults, during/after 20 min stimulation, is reported. Noninvasive optical methods are employed: diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) for blood flow and diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) for hemoglobin concentrations. A significant increase in median CBF (33%) on the side ipsilateral to stimulation was observed during rTMS and persisted after discontinuation. The measured hemodynamic parameter variations enabled computation of relative changes in cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption during rTMS, which increased significantly (28%) in the stimulated hemisphere. By contrast, hemodynamic changes from baseline were not observed contralateral to rTMS administration (all parameters, p>0.29). In total, these findings provide new information about hemodynamic/metabolic responses to low-frequency rTMS and, importantly, demonstrate the feasibility of DCS/DOS for noninvasive monitoring of TMS-induced physiologic effects.

We demonstrate a system for picking of mid-infrared and terahertz (THz) radiation pulses from the free-electron laser (FEL) FELBE operating at a repetition rate of 13 MHz. Single pulses are reflected by a dense electron-hole plasma in a Ge slab that is photoexcited by amplified near-infrared (NIR) laser systems operating at repetition rates of 1 kHz and 100 kHz, respectively. The peak intensity of picked pulses is up to 400 times larger than the peak intensity of residual pulses. The required NIR fluence for picking pulses at wavelengths in the range from 5 μm to 30 μm is discussed. In addition, we show that the reflectivity of the plasma decays on a time scale from 100 ps to 1 ns dependent on the wavelengths of the FEL and the NIR laser. The plasma switch enables experiments with the FEL that require high peak power but lower average power. Furthermore, the system is well suited to investigate processes with decay times in the μs to ms regime, i.e., much longer than the 77 ns long pulserepetition period of FELBE.

Previous studies have used electrical neuromuscular stimulation as a physical training method in patients with severe COPD. We introduce the use of the more tolerable magnetic stimulation for the same purpose, investigating the effectiveness of an eight-week protocol. Eighteen patients with severe COPD were randomly assigned to a magnetic stimulation training protocol, n=10, FEV(1)=30% (SD: 7) or to parallel clinical monitoring, control group, n=8, FEV(1)=35% (SD: 8). During eight weeks, patients were stimulated for 15min on each quadriceps femoris, three times per week. Quadriceps muscle strength and endurance measurements, quality-of-life questionnaires (SF36, SGRQ) and a six-minute walking test were all carried out before and after the training period in the stimulated and control subjects. All patients completed the training with increasing intensity of stimulation, displaying a significant improvement in voluntary quadriceps strength (17.5% of the baseline value) and exercise capacity, with a mean increase of 23m in the six-minute walking test. The questionnaire scores showed greater increases in quality-of-life scores in the trained subjects compared to the controls, particularly in the physical function areas: mean increments in SF36 in "physical function": +26, "role limitations due to physical problems": +40 and "vitality": +17.5, while +13, -4 and +1, respectively in controls. Saint George's "Activity" score improved by 19.6 points, for 11.5 in controls. In COPD patients who are limited due to dyspnoea, magnetic neuromuscular stimulation of the quadriceps constitutes a feasible training method for the lower limbs, with positive effects on the muscle function, effort capacity and perception areas.

The interaction between high-power CW and repetitivelypulsed CO2 laser radiation and a low-threshold optical-breakdown plasma near a metal surface is investigated. The characteristics of the breakdown plasma are examined as functions of the experimental conditions. A qualitative analysis of the results obtained was performed using a simple one-dimensional model for laser combustion waves.

Laser-plasma accelerators are usually driven by 100-TW class laser systems with rather low repetition rates. However, recent years have seen the emergence of laser-plasma accelerators operating with kHz lasers and energies lower than 10 mJ. The high repetition-rate is particularly interesting for applications requiring high stability and high signal-to-noise ratio but lower energy electrons. For example, our group recently demonstrated that kHz laser-driven electron beams could be used to capture ultrafast structural dynamics in Silicon nano-membranes via electron diffraction with picosecond resolution. In these first experiments, electrons were injected in the density gradients located at the plasma exit, resulting in rather low energies in the 100 keV range. The electrons being nonrelativistic, the bunch duration quickly becomes picosecond long. Relativistic energies are required to mitigate space charge effects and maintain femtosecond bunches. In this paper, we will show very recent results where electrons are accelerated in laser-driven wakefields to relativistic energies, reaching up to 5 MeV at kHz repetition rate. The electron energy was increased by nearly two orders of magnitude by using single-cycle laser pulses of 3.5 fs, with only 2.5 mJ of energy. Using such short pulses of light allowed us to resonantly excite high amplitude and nonlinear plasma waves at high plasma density, ne=1.5-2×1020 cm-3, in a regime close to the blow-out regime. Electrons had a peaked distribution around 5 MeV, with a relative energy spread of 30 %. Charges in the 100's fC/shot and up to pC/shot where measured depending on plasma density. The electron beam was fairly collimated, 20 mrad divergence at Full Width Half Maximum. The results show remarkable stability of the beam parameters in terms of beam pointing and electron distribution. 3D PIC simulations reproduce the results very well and indicate that electrons are injected by the ionization of Nitrogen atoms, N5+ to N6

The effects of shifts in the rate of presentation of repetitive neutral events (background event rate) were studied in a visual vigilance task. Four groups of subjects experienced either a high (21 events/min) or a low (6 events/min) event rate for 20 min and then experienced either the same or the alternate event rate for an additional 40 min. The temporal occurrence of critical target signals was identical for all groups, irrespective of event rate. The density of critical signals was 12 signals/20 min. By the end of the session, shifts in event rate were associated with changes in performance which resembled contrast effects found in other experimental situations in which shift paradigms were used. Relative to constant event rate control conditions, a shift from a low to a high event rate depressed the probability of signal detections, while a shift in the opposite direction enhanced the probability of signal detections.

Based on some assumptions, the numerical model of thermal distribution in solid state laser crystal pumped by pulsed laser diode is set up due to the pumped intensity distribution. Taking into account the property of YAG materials that varies with temperature, the transient temperature distribution of the laser crystal is calculated using finite element method on condition that K is a constant and a function of temperature. Then, the influence of the pumping parameters on the thermal effect in laser crystal is also discussed. This study is helpful to optimize the design of the diode side pumped solid state lasers.

When performing visually guided actions under conditions of perturbed visual feedback, e.g., in a mirror or a video camera, there is a spatial conflict between visual and proprioceptive information. Recent studies have shown that subjects without proprioception avoid this conflict and show......TMS over the somatosensory cortex contralateral to the hand or sham stimulation. Mirror tracing was more accurate after rTMS than after sham stimulation. Using a position-matching task, we confirmed that rTMS reduced proprioceptive acuity and that this reduction was largest when the coil was placed...

When performing visually guided actions under conditions of perturbed visual feedback, e.g., in a mirror or a video camera, there is a spatial conflict between visual and proprioceptive information. Recent studies have shown that subjects without proprioception avoid this conflict and show......TMS over the somatosensory cortex contralateral to the hand or sham stimulation. Mirror tracing was more accurate after rTMS than after sham stimulation. Using a position-matching task, we confirmed that rTMS reduced proprioceptive acuity and that this reduction was largest when the coil was placed...

Identification and preservation of the cavernous nerves (CNs) during prostate cancer surgery is critical for post-operative sexual function. Electrical nerve stimulation (ENS) mapping has previously been tested as an intraoperative tool for CN identification, but was found to be unreliable. ENS is limited by the need for electrode-tissue contact, poor spatial precision from electrical current spreading, and stimulation artifacts interfering with detection. Alternatively, optical nerve stimulation (ONS) provides noncontact stimulation, improved spatial selectivity, and elimination of stimulation artifacts. This study compares ENS to pulsed/CW ONS to explore the ONS mechanism. A total of eighty stimulations were performed in 5 rats, in vivo. ENS (4 V, 5 ms, 10 Hz) was compared to ONS using a pulsed diode laser nerve stimulator (1873 nm, 5 ms, 10 Hz) or CW diode laser nerve stimulator (1455 nm). Intracavernous pressure (ICP) response and nerve compound action potentials (nCAPs) were measured. All three stimulation modes (ENS, ONS-CW, ONS-P) produced comparable ICP magnitudes. However, ENS demonstrated more rapid ICP response times and well defined nCAPs compared to unmeasurable nCAPs for ONS. Further experiments measuring single action potentials during ENS and ONS are warranted to further understand differences in the ENS and ONS mechanisms.

The pathophysiologic mechanisms of idiopathic tinnitus remain unclear. Recent studies demonstrated focal brain activation in the auditory cortex of patients with chronic tinnitus. Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is able to reduce cortical hyperexcitability. Fusing of the individual PET-scan with the structural MRI-scan (T1, MPRAGE) allowed us to identify exactly the area of increased metabolic activity in the auditory cortex of patients with chronic tinnitus. With the use of a neuronavigational system, this target area was exactly stimulated by the figure 8-shaped magnetic coil. In a prospective study, rTMS (110% motor threshold; 1 Hz; 2000 stimuli/day over 5 days) was performed using a placebo controlled cross-over design. Patients were blinded regarding the stimulus condition. For the sham stimulation a specific sham-coil system was used. Fourteen patients were followed for 6 months. Treatment outcome was assessed with a specific tinnitus questionnaire (Goebel and Hiller). Tertiary referral medical center. Increased metabolic activation in the auditory cortex was verified in all patients. After 5 days of verum rTMS, a highly significant improvement of the tinnitus score was found whereas the sham treatment did not show any significant changes. The treatment outcome after 6 months still demonstrated significant reduction of tinnitus score. These preliminary results demonstrate that neuronavigated rTMS offers new possibilities in the understanding and treatment of chronic tinnitus.

As in a full size fusion power plant beam line, Electra is a multistage laser amplifier system. The multistage amplifier system consists of a commercial discharge laser and two doubled sided electron beam pumped amplifiers. Angular multiplexing is used in the optical layout to provide pulse length control and to maximize laser extraction from the amplifiers. Two angularly multiplexed beams have extracted 30 J of KrF laser light with an aperture 8 x 10 cm^2, which is sufficient to extract over 500 J from the main amplifier and models agree. The main amplifier of Electra in oscillator mode has demonstrated single shot and rep-rate laser energies exceeding 700 J with 100 ns pulsewidth at 248 nm with an aperture 29 x 29 cm^2. Continuous operation of the KrF electron beam pumped oscillator has lasted for more than 2.5 hours without failure at 1 Hz and 2.5 Hz. The measured intensity and pulse energy for durations greater than thousand shots are consistent at measurable rep-rates of 1 Hz, 2.5 Hz and 5 Hz.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the safety and feasibility of a 6-day protocol of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with intensive swallowing rehabilitation for chronic poststroke dysphagia. In-hospital treatment was provided to 4 poststroke patients (age at treatment: 56–80 years; interval between onset of stroke and treatment: 24–37 months) with dysphagia. Over 6 consecutive days, each patient received 10 sessions of rTMS at 3 Hz applied to the pharyngeal motor cortex bilaterally, followed by 20 min of intensive swallowing rehabilitation exercise. The swallowing function was evaluated by the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS), Modified Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MMASA), Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), laryngeal elevation delay time (LEDT) and Repetitive Saliva-Swallowing Test (RSST) on admission and at discharge. All patients completed the 6-day treatment protocol and none showed any adverse reactions throughout the treatment. The combination treatment improved laryngeal elevation delay time in all patients. Our proposed protocol of rTMS plus swallowing rehabilitation exercise seems to be safe and feasible for chronic stroke dysphagia, although its efficacy needs to be confirmed in a large number of patients. PMID:24803904

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to clarify the safety and feasibility of a 6-day protocol of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS combined with intensive swallowing rehabilitation for chronic poststroke dysphagia. In-hospital treatment was provided to 4 poststroke patients (age at treatment: 56-80 years; interval between onset of stroke and treatment: 24-37 months with dysphagia. Over 6 consecutive days, each patient received 10 sessions of rTMS at 3 Hz applied to the pharyngeal motor cortex bilaterally, followed by 20 min of intensive swallowing rehabilitation exercise. The swallowing function was evaluated by the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS, Modified Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MMASA, Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS, laryngeal elevation delay time (LEDT and Repetitive Saliva-Swallowing Test (RSST on admission and at discharge. All patients completed the 6-day treatment protocol and none showed any adverse reactions throughout the treatment. The combination treatment improved laryngeal elevation delay time in all patients. Our proposed protocol of rTMS plus swallowing rehabilitation exercise seems to be safe and feasible for chronic stroke dysphagia, although its efficacy needs to be confirmed in a large number of patients.

We test the emerging hypothesis that prefrontal cortical mechanisms involved in non-veridical decision making do not overlap with those of veridical decision making. Healthy female subjects performed an experimental task assessing free choice, agent-centered decision making (The Cognitive Bias Task) and a veridical control task related to visuospatial working memory (the Moving Spot Task). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied to the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using 1 Hz and 10 Hz (intermittent) rTMS and sham protocols. Both 1 Hz and 10 Hz stimulation of the DLPFC triggered a shift towards a more context-independent, internal representations driven non-veridical selection bias. A significantly reduced preference for choosing objects based on similarity was detected, following both 1 Hz and 10 Hz treatment of the right as well as 1 Hz rTMS of the left DLPFC. 1 Hz rTMS treatment of the right DLPFC also triggered a significant improvement in visuospatial working memory performance on the veridical task. The effects induced by prefrontal TMS mimicked those of posterior lesions, suggesting that prefrontal stimulation influenced neuronal activity in remote cortical regions interconnected with the stimulation site via longitudinal fasciculi.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have previously been shown to have significantly augmented and prolonged event-related potentials (ERP) to irrelevant visual stimuli compared to controls at both early and later stages (e.g., N200, P300) of visual processing and evidence of an overall lack of stimulus discrimination. Abnormally large and indiscriminative cortical responses to sensory stimuli may reflect cortical inhibitory deficits and a disruption in the excitation/inhibition ratio. Low-frequency (≤1HZ) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to increase inhibition of stimulated cortex by the activation of inhibitory circuits. It was our prediction that after 12 sessions of low-frequency rTMS applied bilaterally to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices in individuals with ASD there would be a significant improvement in ERP indices of selective attention evoked at later (i.e., 200–600 ms) stages of attentional processing as well as an improvement in motor response error rate. We assessed 25 participants with ASD in a task of selective attention using illusory figures before and after 12 sessions of rTMS in a controlled design where a waiting-list group of 20 children with ASD performed the same task twice. We found a significant improvement in both N200 and P300 components as a result of rTMS as well as a significant reduction in response errors. We also found significant reductions in both repetitive behavior and irritability according to clinical behavioral questionnaires as a result of rTMS. We propose that rTMS has the potential to become an important therapeutic tool in ASD research and treatment. PMID:24683490

The paper presents a laser monitor with 10 μs time-resolution based on a high-frequency copper bromide vapor brightness amplifier. A sync circuit has been designed for single-pulse imaging. The analysis of amplifying characteristics of the active elements and active optical system (laser monitor) parameters allowed to determine the optimal concentration of HBr at which the images can be obtained with minimum distortions. For the active element operating at high frequencies (more than 50 kHz) as a brightness amplifier, the concentration of HBr must be lower than that needed for obtaining the maximum output power. The limiting brightness temperature of the background radiation which does not affect the image quality is determined. The potential feasibility of using a proposed brightness amplifier for visualizing processes blocked from viewing by the background radiation with the brightness temperature up to 8000 K is demonstrated.

We report on a high-power diode-pumped self-mode-locked Nd:YLF laser with the pulserepetition rate up to several GHz. A novel tactic is developed to efficiently select the output polarization state for achieving the stable TEM(00)-mode self-mode-locked operations at 1053 nm and 1047 nm, respectively. At an incident pump power of 6.93 W and a pulserepetition rate of 2.717 GHz, output powers as high as 2.15 W and 1.35 W are generated for the σ- and π-polarization, respectively. We experimentally find that decreasing the separation between the gain medium and the input mirror not only brings in the pulse shortening thanks to the enhanced effect of the spatial hole burning, but also effectively introduces the effect of the spectral filtering to lead the Nd:YLF laser to be in a second harmonic mode-locked status. Consequently, pulse durations as short as 8 ps and 8.5 ps are obtained at 1053 nm and 1047 nm with a pulserepetition rate of 5.434 GHz.

Spontaneous scattering noise is incorporated as a build-up source in a fully transient stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) model. This powerful simulation tool is successfully applied for a quantitative investigation of the fluctuations in the output pulse duration of SBS pulse compressors. The pr

The spatial resolution of repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for language mapping is largely unknown. Thus, to determine a minimum spatial resolution of rTMS for language mapping, we evaluated the mapping sessions derived from 19 healthy volunteers for cortical hotspots of no-response errors. Then, the distances between hotspots (stimulation points with a high error rate) and adjacent mapping points (stimulation points with low error rates) were evaluated. Mean distance values of 13.8 ± 6.4 mm (from hotspots to ventral points, range 0.7-30.7 mm), 10.8 ± 4.8 mm (from hotspots to dorsal points, range 2.0-26.5 mm), 16.6 ± 4.8 mm (from hotspots to apical points, range 0.9-27.5 mm), and 13.8 ± 4.3 mm (from hotspots to caudal points, range 2.0-24.2 mm) were measured. According to the results, the minimum spatial resolution of rTMS should principally allow for the identification of a particular gyrus, and according to the literature, it is in good accordance with the spatial resolution of direct cortical stimulation (DCS). Since measurement was performed between hotspots and adjacent mapping points and not on a finer-grained basis, we only refer to a minimum spatial resolution. Furthermore, refinement of our results within the scope of a prospective study combining rTMS and DCS for resolution measurement during language mapping should be the next step.

A single session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can induce behavioural effects that outlast the duration of the stimulation train itself (off-line effects). Series of rTMS sessions on consecutive days are being used for therapeutic applications in a variety of disorders and are assumed to lead to the build-up of cumulative effects. However, no studies have carefully assessed this notion. In the present study we applied 30 daily sessions of 1 Hz rTMS (continuous train of 20 min) to repeatedly modulate activity in the posterior parietal cortex and associated neural systems in two intact cats. We assessed the effect on visuospatial orientation before and after each stimulation session. Cumulative sessions of rTMS progressively induced visuospatial neglect-like 'after-effects' of greater magnitude (from 5-10% to 40-50% error levels) and increasing spatial extent (from 90-75 degrees to 45-30 degrees eccentricity locations), affecting the visual hemifield contralateral to the stimulated hemisphere. Nonetheless, 60 min after each TMS session, visual detection-localization abilities repeatedly returned to baseline levels. Furthermore, no lasting behavioural effect could be demonstrated at any time across the study, when subjects were tested 1 or 24 h post-rTMS. We conclude that the past history of periodically cumulative rTMS sessions builds up a lasting 'memory', resulting in increased facilitation to subsequent TMS-induced disruptions. Such a phenomenon allows a behavioural effect of progressively higher magnitude, but equal duration, in response to individual TMS interventions.

The effect of high repetition rate pulsed laser annealing with a KrF excimer laser on the optical properties of phosphorus-ion-implanted zinc oxide nanorods has been investigated. The recovery levels of phosphorus-ion-implanted zinc oxide nanorods have been measured by photoluminescence spectra and cathode luminescence images. Cathode luminescence disappeared over 300 nm below the surface due to the damage caused by ion implantation with an acceleration voltage of 25 kV. When the annealing was performed at a low repetition rate of the KrF excimer laser, cathode luminescence was recovered only in a shallow area below the surface. The depth of the annealed area was increased along with the repetition rate of the annealing laser. By optimizing the annealing conditions such as the repetition rate, the irradiation fluence and so on, we have succeeded in annealing the whole damaged area of over 300 nm in depth and in observing cathode luminescence. Thus, the effectiveness of high repetition rate pulsed laser annealing on phosphorus-ion-implanted zinc oxide nanorods was demonstrated.

We design a low-timing-jitter, repetition-rate-tunable, stretched-pulse passively mode-locked fiber laser by using a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM), a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), and a tunable optical delay line in the laser configuration. Low-timing-jitter optical pulses are stably produced when a SESAM and a 0.16 m dispersion compensation fiber are employed in the laser cavity. By inserting a tunable optical delay line between NALM and SESAM, the variable repetition-rate operation of a self-starting, passively mode-locked fiber laser is successfully demonstrated over a range from 49.65 to 50.47 MHz. The experimental results show that the newly designed fiber laser can maintain the mode locking at the pumping power of 160 mW to stably generate periodic optical pulses with width less than 170 fs and timing jitter lower than 75 fs in the 1.55 µm wavelength region, when the fundamental repetition rate of the laser is continuously tuned between 49.65 and 50.47 MHz. Moreover, this fiber laser has a feature of turn-key operation with high repeatability of its fundamental repetition rate in practice.

The fluctuation-dissipation theory of spontaneous and stimulated vibration Raman scattering is worked out taking into account the dissipation losses at frequencies of laser pump and scattering radiation. General expressions are found, which describe the absolute intensities and shape, energy and duration of scattered pulses in terms of the parameters of the medium and the the input laser pulses. The general regularities are analyzed in detail. Conditions are found for the realization of spontaneous or stimulated Raman scattering and its dependence on absorption, pulse duration and other parameters of the problem.

We studied the effect of the repetition rate of laser pulses (RRLP) in the range from 1-10 Hz in the production of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) by laser ablation in ethanol. Laser pulses with a duration of 7 ns, a wavelength of 1064 nm and an energy of 60 mJ were used to ablate a 99.99% pure silver target immersed in 10 ml of ethanol. Transmittance analysis and atomic absorption spectroscopy were used to study the silver concentration in the colloidal solutions. The ablation process was studied by measuring the transmission of the laser pulses through the colloid. It is shown that for a fixed number of laser pulses (NLP) the ablation efficiency, in terms of the ablated silver mass per laser pulse, increases with the RRLP. This result contradicts what had previously been established in the literature.

Full Text Available The electric field induced by repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (RPMS is able to activate muscles artificially due to the stimulation of deep intramuscular motor axons. RPMS applied to the muscle induces proprioceptive input to the central nervous system in different ways. Firstly, the indirect activation of mechanoreceptors and secondly, direct activation of afferent nerve fibers. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of RPMS applied to the soleus. Thirteen male subjects received RPMS once and were investigated before and after the treatment regarding the parameters maximal M wave (Mmax, maximal H-reflex (Hmax, Hmax/Mmax-ratio, Hmax and Mmax onset latencies and plantar flexor peak twitch torque associated with Hmax (PTH. Eleven male subjects served as controls. No significant changes were observed for Hmax and PTH of the treatment group but the Hmax/Mmax-ratio increased significantly (p = 0.015 on account of a significantly decreased Mmax (p = 0.027. Hmax onset latencies were increased for the treatment group (p = 0.003 as well as for the control group (p = 0.011 while Mmax onset latencies did not change. It is concluded that the RPMS protocol did not affect spinal excitability but acted on the muscle fibres which are part of fast twitch units and mainly responsible for the generation of the maximal M wave. RPMS probably modified the integrity of neuromuscular propagation.

Full Text Available Multiple Sclerosis (MS is a chronic central nervous system (CNS demyelinating disease. Gait abnormalities are common and disabling in patients with MS with limited treatment options available. Emerging evidence suggests a role of prefrontal attention networks in modulating gait. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS is known to enhance cortical excitability in stimulated cortex and its correlates. We investigated the effect of high-frequency left prefrontal rTMS on gait parameters in a 51-year-old Caucasian male with chronic relapsing/remitting MS with residual disabling attention and gait symptoms. Patient received 6 Hz, rTMS at 90% motor threshold using figure of eight coil centered on F3 location (using 10-20 electroencephalography (EEG lead localization system. GAITRite gait analysis system was used to collect objective gait measures before and after one session and in another occasion three consecutive daily sessions of rTMS. Two-tailed within subject repeated measure t-test showed significant enhancement in ambulation time, gait velocity, and cadence after three consecutive daily sessions of rTMS. Modulating left prefrontal cortex excitability using rTMS resulted in significant change in gait parameters after three sessions. To our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates the effect of rTMS applied to the prefrontal cortex on gait in MS patients.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, consists of applying series of magnetic impulses to the cerebral cortex so as to modulate neurone activity in a target zone. This technique, still experimental, could prove promising in the field of psychiatry, in particular for the treatment of major depressive disorder. It is important for the clinician to be able to assess the response potential of a given patient to rTMS, and this among other things requires relevant predictive factors to be available. This review of the literature aims to determine and analyse reported predictive factors for therapeutic response to rTMS treatment in major depressive disorder. Different parameters are studied, in particular age, the severity of the depressive episode, psychological dimensions, genetic factors, cerebral blood flows via cerebral imagery, and neuronavigation. The factors found to be associated with better therapeutic response were young age, low level of severity of the depressive episode, motor threshold intensity over 100%, more than 1000 stimulations per session, more than 10 days treatment, L/L genotype on the 5-HTTLPR transporter gene, C/C homozygosity on the promotor regions of the 5-HT1A receptor gene, Val/Val homozygosity on the BDNF gene, cordance analyses by EEG, and finally the accurate localisation provided by neuronavigation. The authors conclude that investigations in larger patient samples are required in the future, and that the work already achieved should provide lines of approach for the coming experimental studies.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). There are clinical data that support the efficacy of many different approaches to rTMS treatment, and it remains unclear what combination of stimulation parameters is optimal to relieve depressive symptoms. Because of the costs and complexity of studies that would be necessary to explore and compare the large number of combinations of rTMS treatment parameters, it would be useful to establish reliable surrogate biomarkers of treatment efficacy that could be used to compare different approaches to treatment. This study reviews the evidence that neurophysiologic measures of cortical excitability could be used as biomarkers for screening different rTMS treatment paradigms. It examines evidence that: (1) changes in excitability are related to the mechanism of action of rTMS; (2) rTMS has consistent effects on measures of excitability that could constitute reliable biomarkers; and (3) changes in excitability are related to the outcomes of rTMS treatment of MDD. An increasing body of evidence indicates that these neurophysiologic measures have the potential to serve as reliable biomarkers for screening different approaches to rTMS treatment of MDD.

Repeated sessions of transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) are capable of changing and modulating neural activity beyond the period of stimulation. Because many neurological disorders are thought to involve abnormal or dysfunctional neuronal activity, it is hypothesised that the therapeutic action of rTMS may occur through modulating and reversing abnormal activity and facilitating neuroplasticity.Numerous clinical studies have investigated the safety and efficacy of rTMS treatment for a wide variety of conditions including depression, anxiety disorders including obsessive compulsive disorder, Parkinson's disease, stroke, tinnitus, affective disorders, schizophrenia and chronic pain. Despite some promising results, rTMS is not currently widely used to assist in recovery from neurotrama. In this review, we argue that the therapeutic promise of rTMS is limited because the mechanisms of action of rTMS are not completely understood and therefore it is difficult to determine which treatment protocols are appropriate for specific neurological conditions. We use the application of rTMS in motor functional recovery from cerebral ischemic stroke to illustrate the difficulties in interpreting and assessing the therapeutic potential of rTMS for neurotrauma in terms of the presumed mechanisms of action of rTMS. Future directions for research will also be discussed.

This paper reports on the design, implementation, and test of a stimulation back-end, for an implantable retinal prosthesis. In addition to traditional rectangular pulse shapes, the circuit features biphasic stimulationpulses with both rising and falling exponential shapes, whose time constants are digitally programmable. A class-B second generation current conveyor is used as a wide-swing, high-output-resistance stimulation current driver, delivering stimulation current pulses of up to ±96 μA to the target tissue. Duration of the generated current pulses is programmable within the range of 100 μs to 3 ms. Current-mode digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are used to program the amplitudes of the stimulationpulses. Fabricated using the IBM 130 nm process, the circuit consumes 1.5×1.5 mm(2) of silicon area. According to the measurements, the DACs exhibit DNL and INL of 0.23 LSB and 0.364 LSB, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the stimuli generator meets expected requirements when connected to electrode-tissue impedance of as high as 25 k Ω. Maximum power consumption of the proposed design is 3.4 mW when delivering biphasic rectangular pulses to the target load. A charge pump block is in charge of the upconversion of the standard 1.2-V supply voltage to ±3.3V.

Experimental studies were conducted of a flow induced in an initially quiescent room air by a single asymmetric dielectric barrier discharge driven by voltage waveforms consisting of repetitive nanosecond high-voltage pulses superimposed on dc or alternating sinusoidal or square-wave bias voltage. To characterize the pulses and to optimize their matching to the plasma, a numerical code for short pulse calculations with an arbitrary impedance load was developed. A new approach for nonintrusive diagnostics of plasma actuator induced flows in quiescent gas was proposed, consisting of three elements coupled together: the schlieren technique, burst mode of plasma actuator operation, and two-dimensional numerical fluid modeling. The force and heating rate calculated by a plasma model was used as an input to two-dimensional viscous flow solver to predict the time-dependent dielectric barrier discharge induced flow field. This approach allowed us to restore the entire two-dimensional unsteady plasma induced flow pattern as well as characteristics of the plasma induced force. Both the experiments and computations showed the same vortex flow structures induced by the actuator. Parametric studies of the vortices at different bias voltages, pulse polarities, peak pulse voltages, and pulserepetition rates were conducted experimentally. The significance of charge buildup on the dielectric surface was demonstrated. The charge buildup decreases the effective electric field in the plasma and reduces the plasma actuator performance. The accumulated surface charge can be removed by switching the bias polarity, which leads to a newly proposed voltage waveform consisting of high-voltage nanosecond repetitivepulses superimposed on a high-voltage low frequency sinusoidal voltage. Advantages of the new voltage waveform were demonstrated experimentally.

Background Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to the left temporoparietal area (TP) has been investigated as a treatment method for auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) yielding inconsistent results. In vitro studies have indicated that the effects of low-frequ

Objective: Several meta-analyses considering repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) have been performed with moderate to high mean weighted effect sizes. Since then several negative findings were reported in relatively large samples. The aim of t

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left temporo-parietal junction area has been studied as a treatment option for auditory verbal hallucinations. Although the right temporo-parietal junction area has also shown involvement in the genesis of auditory verbal hallucinations

The purpose of the study was to determine the safety and feasibility of a 15-day protocol of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with intensive occupational therapy (OT) on motor function and spasticity in hemiparetic upper limbs in poststroke patients. Fifteen poststroke patients (age at study entry 55 [plus…

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left temporo-parietal junction area has been studied as a treatment option for auditory verbal hallucinations. Although the right temporo-parietal junction area has also shown involvement in the genesis of auditory verbal

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is considered to be the standard method regarding non-invasive language mapping. However, repetitive navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) gains increasing importance with respect to that purpose. However, comparisons between both methods are sparse. We performed fMRI and rTMS language mapping of the left hemisphere in 40 healthy, right-handed subjects in combination with the tasks that are most commonly used in the neurosurgical context (fMRI: word-generation = WGEN task; rTMS: object-naming = ON task). Different rTMS error rate thresholds (ERTs) were calculated, and Cohen's kappa coefficient and the cortical parcellation system (CPS) were used for systematic comparison of the two techniques. Overall, mean kappa coefficients were low, revealing no distinct agreement. We found the highest agreement for both techniques when using the 2-out-of-3 rule (CPS region defined as language positive in terms of rTMS if at least 2 out of 3 stimulations led to a naming error). However, kappa for this threshold was only 0.24 (kappa of <0, 0.01-0.20, 0.21-0.40, 0.41-0.60, 0.61-0.80 and 0.81-0.99 indicate less than chance, slight, fair, moderate, substantial and almost perfect agreement, respectively). Because of the inherent differences in the underlying physiology of fMRI and rTMS, the different tasks used and the impossibility of verifying the results via direct cortical stimulation (DCS) in the population of healthy volunteers, one must exercise caution in drawing conclusions about the relative usefulness of each technique for language mapping. Nevertheless, this study yields valuable insights into these two mapping techniques for the most common language tasks currently used in neurosurgical practice.

Interference of ongoing neuronal activity and brain stimulation motivated this study to combine repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and relaxation techniques in tinnitus patients. Forty-two patients were enrolled in this one-arm proof-of-concept study to receive ten sessions of rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and temporo-parietal cortex. During stimulation, patients listened to five different kinds of relaxation audios. Variables of interest were tinnitus questionnaires, tinnitus numeric rating scales, depressivity, and quality of life. Results were compared to results of historical control groups having received the same rTMS protocol (active control) and sham treatment (placebo) without relaxation techniques. Thirty-eight patients completed the treatment, drop-out rates and adverse events were low. Responder rates (reduction in tinnitus questionnaire (TQ) score ≥5 points 10 weeks after treatment) were 44.7 % in the study, 27.8 % in the active control group, and 21.7 % in the placebo group, differing between groups on a near significant level. For the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), the main effect of group was not significant. However, linear mixed model analyses showed that the relaxation/rTMS group differed significantly from the active control group showing steeper negative THI trend for the relaxation/rTMS group indicating better amelioration over the course of the trial. Deepness of relaxation during rTMS and selection of active relaxation vs. passive listening to music predicted larger TQ. All remaining secondary outcomes turned out non-significant. This combined treatment proved to be a safe, feasible and promising approach to enhance rTMS treatment effects in chronic tinnitus.

During the past decade, a large amount of work on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been performed, including the development of new paradigms of stimulation, the integration of imaging data, and the coupling of TMS techniques with electroencephalography or neuroimaging. These accumulating data being difficult to synthesize, several French scientific societies commissioned a group of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature on TMS. This text contains all the consensual findings of the expert group on the mechanisms of action, safety rules and indications of TMS, including repetitive TMS (rTMS). TMS sessions have been conducted in thousands of healthy subjects or patients with various neurological or psychiatric diseases, allowing a better assessment of risks associated with this technique. The number of reported side effects is extremely low, the most serious complication being the occurrence of seizures. In most reported seizures, the stimulation parameters did not follow the previously published recommendations (Wassermann, 1998) [430] and rTMS was associated to medication that could lower the seizure threshold. Recommendations on the safe use of TMS / rTMS were recently updated (Rossi et al., 2009) [348], establishing new limits for stimulation parameters and fixing the contraindications. The recommendations we propose regarding safety are largely based on this previous report with some modifications. By contrast, the issue of therapeutic indications of rTMS has never been addressed before, the present work being the first attempt of a synthesis and expert consensus on this topic. The use of TMS/rTMS is discussed in the context of chronic pain, movement disorders, stroke, epilepsy, tinnitus and psychiatric disorders. There is already a sufficient level of evidence of published data to retain a therapeutic indication of rTMS in clinical practice (grade A) in chronic neuropathic pain, major depressive episodes, and auditory

Research suggests that having a healthy approach system is critical for adaptive emotional functioning. The goal of the current study (n=186 undergraduates) was to determine the efficacy of an easy-to-disseminate and cost-efficient strategy for stimulating this system. The experiment tested the effects of repeated flexion movements (rFM) on approach system activation as measured by both self-report (BAS scales) and behavior. The results showed that rFM increased approach system motivation in men but not women. Men who completed the rFM task reported significantly greater levels of fun-seeking motivation than men in the control task. Moreover, the rFM task led to changes in actual behavior. Men who completed the rFM task exhibited significantly greater persistence on a difficult laboratory task than men in the control task. In contrast, women who completed the rFM task reported significantly lower levels of fun seeking and tended to exhibit less persistence on a difficult laboratory task than women in the control task. These results provide support for embodied theories of emotion as well as additional evidence for a gender difference in approach-avoidance tendencies.

Here, we administered repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to healthy people at the left Guangming (GB37) and a mock point, and calculated the sample entropy of electroencephalo-gram signals using nonlinear dynamics. Additionally, we compared electroencephalogram sample entropy of signals in response to visual stimulation before, during, and after repeated-pulse tran-scranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming. Results showed that electroencephalogram sample entropy at left (F3) and right (FP2) frontal electrodes were significantly different depending on where the magnetic stimulation was administered. Additionally, compared with the mock point, electroencephalogram sample entropy was higher after stimulating the Guangming point. When visual stimulation at Guangming was given before repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimula-tion, signiifcant differences in sample entropy were found at ifve electrodes (C3, Cz, C4, P3, T8) in parietal cortex, the central gyrus, and the right temporal region compared with when it was given after repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, indicating that repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at Guangming can affect visual function. Analysis of electroencephalogram revealed that when visual stimulation preceded repeated pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, sample entropy values were higher at the C3, C4, and P3 electrodes and lower at the Cz and T8 electrodes than visual stimulation followed preceded repeated pulse transcranial magnetic stimula-tion. The ifndings indicate that repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming evokes different patterns of electroencephalogram signals than repeated-pulse transcranial mag-netic stimulation at other nearby points on the body surface, and that repeated-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Guangming is associated with changes in the complexity of visually evoked electroencephalogram signals in parietal regions, central gyrus

In this study, the effects of pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation with a strong magnetic field on rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells were investigated to confirm the efficacy of the magnetic stimulator for biomedical applications. The maximum intensity of the magnetic field generated from the stimulation coil was 0.203 T, and the transition time was 126 μs. The oscillation time and frequency of the pulsed field were almost 0.1 ms and 8 kHz, respectively. The cell count as well as the mRNA expression and DNA sequence of the cytokine genes, such as the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-4 (IL-4), of the stimulated RBL-2H3 cells were analyzed with a hemocytometer and via reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to determine the physiological response under a strong pulse field. After 12 h stimulation, cell death was observed at an increasing scale with the increase in the stimulation time. On the other hand, the cells that were stimulated for 10 min almost doubled as the interval time between the stimulations was extended.

We analysed two different neural mechanisms related to the unconscious processing of auditory stimulation, neural adaptation and mismatch negativity (MMN), using magnetoencephalography in healthy non-musicians. Four kinds of conditioning stimulus (CS): white noise, a 675-Hz pure tone, and complex tones with six (CT6) and seven components (CT7), were used for analysing neural adaptation. The seven spectral components of CT7 were spaced by 1/7 octaves between 500 and 906 Hz on the logarithmic scale. The CT6 components contained the same spectral components as CT7, except for the center frequency, 675 kHz. Subjects could not distinguish CT6 from CT7 in a discrimination test. A test stimulus (TS), a 675-Hz tone, was presented after CS, and the effects of the presence of the same 675-Hz frequency in the CS on the magnetoencephalographic response elicited by TS was evaluated. The P2m component following CT7 was significantly smaller in current strength than that following CT6. The equivalent current dipole for P2m was located approximately 10 mm anterior to the preceding N1m. This result indicated that neural adaptation was taking place in the anterior part of the auditory cortex, even if the sound difference was subthreshold. By contrast, the magnetic counterpart of the MMN was not recorded when CT6 and CT7 were used as standard and deviant stimuli, respectively, being consistent with the discrimination test. In conclusion, neural adaptation is considered to be more sensitive than our consciousness or the MMN, or is caused by an independent mechanism.

By using the previously developed kinetic model, we have carried out simulations to study the possibility of laser generation of XeCl exciplex molecules in the working medium based on a mixture of Xe with CsCl vapours, excited by a longitudinal repetitivelypulsed discharge. The formation mechanism of exciplex molecules in this mixture is fundamentally different from the formation mechanisms in the traditional mixtures of exciplex lasers. The conditions that make the laser generation possible are discussed. For these conditions, with allowance for available specific experimental conditions of the repetitivelypulsed discharge excitation, we have obtained the calculated dependences of the power and efficiency of generation on the reflectivity of mirrors in a laser cavity. (active media)

In the framework of the preparatory phase for the luminosity upgrade of the LHC (SLHC-PP ) it is foreseen to characterize two superconducting RF cavities and demonstrate compliance of the required SPL field stability in amplitude and phase using a prototype LLRF system. We report on the preparation for testing of two superconducting low-beta cavities at 50 Hz pulserepetition rate including the setting-up of the low level RF control system to evaluate the performance of the piezo-tuning system and cavity field stability in amplitude and phase. Results from tests with 50 Hz pulserepetition rate are presented. Simulations of the RF system will be used to predict the necessary specifications for power and bandwidth to control the cavity field and derive specifications for the RF system and its control. Exemplary results of the simulation are presented.

A generator of high-power high-voltage nanosecond pulses is intended for electrical discharge disintegration of mineral quartz and other nonconducting minerals. It includes a 320 kV Marx pulsed voltage generator, a high-voltage glycerin-insulated coaxial peaking capacitor, and an output gas spark switch followed by a load, an electric discharge disintegration chamber. The main parameters of the generator are as follows: a voltage pulse amplitude of up to 300 kV, an output impedance of ≈10 Ω, a discharge current amplitude of up to 25 kA for a half-period of 80–90 ns, and a pulserepetition rate of up to 16 Hz.

Results of experimental investigations into the characteristics of a laser on self-terminating transitions of the barium atom with λ = 1499 nm are presented for high pulserepetition frequencies (PRF). The frequency-energy characteristics are investigated in the self-heating mode of laser operation. Record values of PRF for the barium vapor laser, equal to ~320 kHz, have been attained.

Here, we demonstrate all-fiber direct amplification of 11 picosecond pulses from a gain-switched laser diode at 1063nm. The diode was driven at a repetition rate of 40MHz and delivered 13$\\mu$W of fiber-coupled average output power. For the low output pulse energy of 0.33pJ we have designed a multi-stage core pumped preamplifier based on single clad Yb-doped fibers in order to keep the contribution of undesired amplified spontaneous emission as low as possible and to minimize temporal and spectral broadening. After the preamplifier we reduced the 40MHz repetition rate to 1MHz using a fiber coupled pulse-picker. The final amplification was done with a cladding pumped Yb-doped large mode area fiber and a subsequent Yb-doped rod-type fiber. With our setup we achieved amplification of 72dBs to an output pulse energy of 5.7$\\mu$J, pulse duration of 11ps and peak power of >0.6MW.

Objective. The vestibular system provides essential information about balance and spatial orientation via the brain to other sensory and motor systems. Bilateral vestibular loss significantly reduces quality of life, but vestibular implants (VIs) have demonstrated potential to restore lost function. However, optimal electrical stimulation strategies have not yet been identified in patients. In this study, we compared the two most common strategies, pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and pulse rate modulation (PRM), in patients. Approach. Four subjects with a modified cochlear implant including electrodes targeting the peripheral vestibular nerve branches were tested. Charge-equivalent PAM and PRM were applied after adaptation to baseline stimulation. Vestibulo-ocular reflex eye movement responses were recorded to evaluate stimulation efficacy during acute clinical testing sessions. Main results. PAM evoked larger amplitude eye movement responses than PRM. Eye movement response axes for lateral canal stimulation were marginally better aligned with PRM than with PAM. A neural network model was developed for the tested stimulation strategies to provide insights on possible neural mechanisms. This model suggested that PAM would consistently cause a larger ensemble firing rate of neurons and thus larger responses than PRM. Significance. Due to the larger magnitude of eye movement responses, our findings strongly suggest PAM as the preferred strategy for initial VI modulation.

Autophagy, a lysosomal degradative pathway, is potently stimulated in the myocardium by fasting and is essential for maintaining cardiac function during prolonged starvation. We tested the hypothesis that intermittent fasting protects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury via transcriptional stimulation of the autophagy-lysosome machinery. Adult C57BL/6 mice subjected to 24-h periods of fasting, every other day, for 6 wk were protected from in-vivo ischemia-reperfusion injury on a fed day, with marked reduction in infarct size in both sexes as compared with nonfasted controls. This protection was lost in mice heterozygous null for Lamp2 (coding for lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2), which demonstrate impaired autophagy in response to fasting with accumulation of autophagosomes and SQSTM1, an autophagy substrate, in the heart. In lamp2 null mice, intermittent fasting provoked progressive left ventricular dilation, systolic dysfunction and hypertrophy; worsening cardiomyocyte autophagosome accumulation and lack of protection to ischemia-reperfusion injury, suggesting that intact autophagy-lysosome machinery is essential for myocardial homeostasis during intermittent fasting and consequent ischemic cardioprotection. Fasting and refeeding cycles resulted in transcriptional induction followed by downregulation of autophagy-lysosome genes in the myocardium. This was coupled with fasting-induced nuclear translocation of TFEB (transcription factor EB), a master regulator of autophagy-lysosome machinery; followed by rapid decline in nuclear TFEB levels with refeeding. Endogenous TFEB was essential for attenuation of hypoxia-reoxygenation-induced cell death by repetitive starvation, in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, in-vitro. Taken together, these data suggest that TFEB-mediated transcriptional priming of the autophagy-lysosome machinery mediates the beneficial effects of fasting-induced autophagy in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

The processing of auditory spatial information in cortical areas of the human brain outside of the primary auditory cortex remains poorly understood. Here we investigated the role of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and the occipital cortex (OC) in spatial hearing using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). The right STG is known to be of crucial importance for visual spatial awareness, and has been suggested to be involved in auditory spatial perception. We found that rTMS of the right STG induced a systematic error in the perception of interaural time differences (a primary cue for sound localization in the azimuthal plane). This is in accordance with the recent view, based on both neurophysiological data obtained in monkeys and human neuroimaging studies, that information on sound location is processed within a dorsolateral "where" stream including the caudal STG. A similar, but opposite, auditory shift was obtained after rTMS of secondary visual areas of the right OC. Processing of auditory information in the OC has previously been shown to exist only in blind persons. Thus, the latter finding provides the first evidence of an involvement of the visual cortex in spatial hearing in sighted human subjects, and suggests a close interconnection of the neural representation of auditory and visual space. Because rTMS induced systematic shifts in auditory lateralization, but not a general deterioration, we propose that rTMS of STG or OC specifically affected neuronal circuits transforming auditory spatial coordinates in order to maintain alignment with vision.

Non-invasive neurostimulation techniques have been used alone or in conjunction with rehabilitation therapy to treat the neurological sequelae of brain damage with rather variable therapeutic outcomes. One potential factor limiting a consistent success for such techniques may be the few sessions carried out in patients, despite reports that their accrual may play a key role in alleviating neurological deficits long-term. In this study, we tested the effects of seventy consecutive sessions of perilesional high frequency (10 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of chronic neglect deficits in a well-established feline model of visuo-spatial neglect. Under identical rTMS parameters and visuo-spatial testing regimes, half of the subjects improved in visuo-spatial orienting performance. The other half experienced either none or extremely moderate ameliorations in the neglected hemispace and displayed transient patterns of maladaptive visuo-spatial behavior. Detailed analyses suggest that lesion location and extent did not account for the behavioral differences observed between these two groups of animals. We conclude that multi-session perilesional rTMS regimes have the potential to induce functional ameliorations following focal chronic brain injury, and that behavioral performance prior to the onset of the rTMS treatment is the factor that best predicts positive outcomes for non-invasive neurostimulation treatments in visuo-spatial neglect. PMID:23167832

Several cross-sectional functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies reported a negative correlation between auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) severity and amplitude of the activations during language tasks. The present study assessed the time course of this correlation and its possible structural underpinnings by combining structural, functional MRI and repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS). Methods: Nine schizophrenia patients with AVH (evaluated with the Auditory Hallucination Rating scale; AHRS) and nine healthy participants underwent two sessions of an fMRI speech listening paradigm. Meanwhile, patients received high frequency (20 Hz) rTMS. Results: Before rTMS, activations were negatively correlated with AHRS in a left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) cluster, considered henceforward as a functional region of interest (fROI). After rTMS, activations in this fROI no longer correlated with AHRS. This decoupling was explained by a significant decrease of AHRS scores after rTMS that contrasted with a relative stability of cerebral activations. A voxel-based-morphometry analysis evidenced a cluster of the left pSTS where grey matter volume negatively correlated with AHRS before rTMS and positively correlated with activations in the fROI at both sessions. Conclusion: rTMS decreases the severity of AVH leading to modify the functional correlate of AVH underlain by grey matter abnormalities. PMID:24961421

Noninvasive neurostimulation techniques have been used alone or in conjunction with rehabilitation therapy to treat the neurological sequelae of brain damage with rather variable therapeutic outcomes. One potential factor limiting a consistent success for such techniques may be the limited number of sessions carried out in patients, despite reports that their accrual may play a key role in alleviating neurological deficits long-term. In this study, we tested the effects of seventy consecutive sessions of perilesional high-frequency (10 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of chronic neglect deficits in a well-established feline model of visuospatial neglect. Under identical rTMS parameters and visuospatial testing regimes, half of the subjects improved in visuospatial orienting performance. The other half experienced either none or extremely moderate ameliorations in the neglected hemispace and displayed transient patterns of maladaptive visuospatial behavior. Detailed analyses suggest that lesion location and extent did not account for the behavioral differences observed between these two groups of animals. We conclude that multi-session perilesional rTMS regimes have the potential to induce functional ameliorations following focal chronic brain injury, and that behavioral performance prior to the onset of the rTMS treatment is the factor that best predicts positive outcomes for noninvasive neurostimulation treatments in visuospatial neglect.

Full Text Available Several cross-sectional functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI studies reported a negative correlation between auditory verbal hallucination (AVH severity and amplitude of the activations during language tasks. The present study assessed the time course of this correlation and its possible structural underpinnings by combining structural, functional MRI and repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS. Methods: Nine schizophrenia patients with AVH (evaluated with the Auditory Hallucination Rating scale; AHRS and nine healthy participants underwent two sessions of an fMRI speech listening paradigm. Meanwhile, patients received high frequency (20 Hz rTMS. Results: Before rTMS, activations were negatively correlated with AHRS in a left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS cluster, considered henceforward as a functional region of interest (fROI. After rTMS, activations in this fROI no longer correlated with AHRS. This decoupling was explained by a significant decrease of AHRS scores after rTMS that contrasted with a relative stability of cerebral activations. A voxel-based-morphometry analysis evidenced a cluster of the left pSTS where grey matter volume negatively correlated with AHRS before rTMS and positively correlated with activations in the fROI at both sessions. Conclusion: rTMS decreases the severity of AVH leading to modify the functional correlate of AVH underlain by grey matter abnormalities.

Objective:To analyze the clinical value of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (RTMS) combined with dutoxetine for patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).Methods:A total of 180 cases of patients with GAD were randomly divided into two groups (the control group and the observation group) with 90 cases each group. Patients in control group were treated with dutoxetine, while those in observation group were treated by dutoxetine combined with RTMS. The Hamilton anxiety scale and the clinical global impression scale were used to evaluate the efficacy of both groups before and after treatment, then the characteristics of mismatch negativity and P300 were detected by using brain evoked potential, and meanwhile, plasma cortisol, brain derived neurotrophic factor and homocysteine levels were detected and compared too.Results:Analysis of variance of repeated measure data showed that the main effect of time, main effect between groups and interaction effect of Hamilton anxiety scale and the clinical global impression scale scores, MMN incubation period, MMN amplitude, target N2 incubation period, target P3 incubation period, P2 non-target amplitude, levels of plasma cortisol, brain derived neurotrophic factor and homocysteine of both groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05).Conclusions:The treatment of RTMS combined with dutoxetine for patients with GAD has a faster and better curative effect, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Full Text Available Epileptogenesis involves an increase in excitatory synaptic strength in the brain in a manner similar to synaptic potentiation. In the present study we investigated the mechanisms of short-term synaptic potentiation in patients with focal epilepsy by using 5 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS, a non invasive neurophysiological technique able to investigate the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in humans. Ten patients with focal idiopathic cortical epilepsy were studied. 5 Hz-rTMS (10 stimuli-trains, 120% of motor threshold, RMT was delivered over the first dorsal interosseus (FDI motor area of both (affected and unaffected hemispheres. Changes in the motor evoked potential (MEP size in the FDI muscle during the trains and the RMT were measured and compared between the hemispheres. 5 Hz-rTMS was also delivered in a group of healthy subjects over both hemispheres. 5 Hz-rTMS in patients elicited a reduced MEP facilitation compared to normal subjects. The reduced MEP amplitude was more evident in the affected hemisphere than in the unaffected hemisphere. RMT in the affected hemisphere was higher than in the unaffected hemisphere and in healthy subjects. Our findings showing a decreased response to 5 Hz-rTMS over the affected hemisphere, differently from the expected results suggest a reduced cortical excitability in epileptic patients. We hypothesize an altered balance between excitatory and inhibitory circuits in epileptic patients under chronic therapy.

Full Text Available A continuous periodic motion stimulus can sometimes be perceived moving in the wrong direction. These illusory reversals have been taken as evidence that part of the motion perception system samples its inputs as a series of discrete snapshots -although other explanations of the phenomenon have been proposed, that rely on the spurious activation of low-level motion detectors in early visual areas. We have hypothesized that the right inferior parietal lobe ('when' pathway plays a critical role in timing perceptual events relative to one another, and thus we examined the role of the right parietal lobe in the generation of this "continuous Wagon Wheel Illusion" (c-WWI. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that the illusion was effectively weakened following disruption of right, but not left, parietal regions by low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (1 Hz, 10 min. These results were independent of whether the motion stimulus was shown in the left or the right visual field. Thus, the c-WWI appears to depend on higher-order attentional mechanisms that are supported by the 'when' pathway of the right parietal lobe.

We investigated the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of the combination of bihemispheric repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intensive occupational therapy (OT) for upper limb hemiparesis in poststroke patients. The study participants were eight poststroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis (age at intervention: 62.8±4.9 years, time after stroke: 84.3±87.2 months, mean±SD). During 15 days of hospitalization, each patient received 10 sessions of 40-min bihemispheric rTMS and 240-min intensive OT (120-min one-to-one training and 120-min self-training). One session of bihemispheric rTMS comprised the application of both 1 and 10 Hz rTMS (2000 stimuli for each hemisphere). The Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Wolf Motor Function Test, and the Modified Ashworth Scale were administered on the day of admission and at discharge. All patients completed the treatment without any adverse effects. Motor function of the affected upper limb improved significantly, on the basis of changes in Fugl-Meyer Assessment and Wolf Motor Function Test (Ptherapy for poststroke hemiparetic patients, and improved motor function of the hemiparetic upper limb in poststroke patients. The findings provide a new avenue for the treatment of patients with poststroke hemiparesis.

[Purpose] This study investigated the effects of computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation (CACR) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on cognitive function in patients with stroke. [Subjects and Methods] We enrolled 20 patients and divided them into CACR and rTMS groups. CACR and rTMS were performed thrice a week for 4 weeks. Cognitive function was measured with the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) and Lowenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment-Geriatric (LOTCA-G) before and after treatment. The independent samples t-test was performed to test the homogeneity of K-MMSE and LOTCA-G before treatment and compare the differences in cognitive improvement between the CACR and rTMS groups. A paired samples t-test was used to compare cognitive function before and after treatment. [Results] Cognitive function of both the groups significantly improved after the intervention based on the K-MMSE and LOTCA-G scores. While the LOTCA-G score improved significantly more in the CACR group than in the rTMS group, no significant difference was seen in the K-MMSE scores. [Conclusion] We showed that CACR is more effective than rTMS in improving cognitive function after stroke.

Slow wave activity (SWA) generation depends on cortico-thalamo-cortical loops that are disrupted in patients with chronic Disorders of Consciousness (DOC), including the Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (UWS) and the Minimally Conscious State (MCS). We hypothesized that the modulation of SWA by means of a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could reveal residual patterns of connectivity, thus supporting the DOC clinical differential diagnosis. We enrolled 10 DOC individuals who underwent a 24hh polysomnography followed by a real or sham 5Hz-rTMS over left primary motor area, and a second polysomnographic recording. A preserved sleep-wake cycle, a standard temporal progression of sleep stages, and a SWA perturbation were found in all of the MCS patients and in none of the UWS individuals, only following the real-rTMS. In conclusion, our combined approach may improve the differential diagnosis between MCS patients, who show a partial preservation of cortical plasticity, and UWS individuals, who lack such properties.

Rightward prism adaptation ameliorates neglect symptoms while leftward prism adaptation (LPA) induces neglect-like biases in healthy individuals. Similarly, inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the right posterior parietal cortex (PPC) induces neglect-like behavior, whereas on the left PPC it ameliorates neglect symptoms and normalizes hyperexcitability of left hemisphere parietal-motor (PPC-M1) connectivity. Based on this analogy we hypothesized that LPA increases PPC-M1 excitability in the left hemisphere and decreases it in the right one. In an attempt to shed some light on the mechanisms underlying LPA's effects on cognition, we investigated this hypothesis in healthy individuals measuring PPC-M1 excitability with dual-site paired-pulse TMS (ppTMS). We found a left hemisphere increase and a right hemisphere decrease in the amplitude of motor evoked potentials elicited by paired as well as single pulses on M1. While this could indicate that LPA biases interhemispheric connectivity, it contradicts previous evidence that M1-only MEPs are unchanged after LPA. A control experiment showed that input-output curves were not affected by LPA per se. We conclude that LPA combined with ppTMS on PPC-M1 differentially alters the excitability of the left and right M1.

Human studies of brain stimulation have demonstrated modulatory effects on the perception of pain. However, whether the primary somatosensory cortical activity is associated with antinociceptive responses remains unknown. Therefore, we examined the antinociceptive effects of neuronal activity evoked by optogenetic stimulation of primary somatosensory cortex. Optogenetic transgenic mice were subjected to continuous or pulse-train optogenetic stimulation of the primary somatosensory cortex at frequencies of 15, 30, and 40 Hz, during a tail clip test. Reaction time was measured using a digital high-speed video camera. Pulse-train optogenetic stimulation of primary somatosensory cortex showed a delayed pain response with respect to a tail clip, whereas no significant change in reaction time was observed with continuous stimulation. In response to the pulse-train stimulation, video monitoring and local field potential recording revealed associated paw movement and sensorimotor rhythms, respectively. Our results show that optogenetic stimulation of primary somatosensory cortex at beta and gamma frequencies blocks transmission of pain signals in tail clip test.

Detecting variation in contact pressure is a separate sensing mode in the human somatosensory system that differs from the detection of pressure magnitude. If pressure magnitude and variation sensing can be achieved simultaneously, an advanced biomimetic tactile system that better emulates human senses may be developed. We report on a novel single-layer graphene based artificial mechanoreceptor that generates a resistance pulse as the contact stimulus passes a specific threshold pressure, mimicking the generation of action potentials in a biological fast-adapting mechanoreceptor. The electric field from a flexible membrane gate electrode placed above a graphene channel raises the Fermi level from the valence band as pressure deflects the membrane. The threshold pressure is reached when the Fermi level crosses the Dirac point in the graphene energy band, which generates a sharp peak in the measured resistance. We found that by changing the gate potential it was possible to modulate the threshold pressure and using a series of graphene channels, a train of pulses were generated during a transient pressurizing stimulus demonstrating biomimetic behaviour.Detecting variation in contact pressure is a separate sensing mode in the human somatosensory system that differs from the detection of pressure magnitude. If pressure magnitude and variation sensing can be achieved simultaneously, an advanced biomimetic tactile system that better emulates human senses may be developed. We report on a novel single-layer graphene based artificial mechanoreceptor that generates a resistance pulse as the contact stimulus passes a specific threshold pressure, mimicking the generation of action potentials in a biological fast-adapting mechanoreceptor. The electric field from a flexible membrane gate electrode placed above a graphene channel raises the Fermi level from the valence band as pressure deflects the membrane. The threshold pressure is reached when the Fermi level crosses the Dirac

To assess the efficacy of inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on upper extremity motor function in patients with acute/subacute ischemic stroke. Twenty-five ischemic acute/subacute stroke subjects were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. Experimental group 1 received low frequency (LF) rTMS to the primary motor cortex of the unaffected side + physical therapy (PT) including activities to improve strength, flexibility, transfers, posture, balance, coordination, and activities of daily living, mainly focusing on upper limb movements; experimental group 2 received the same protocol combined with NMES to hand extensor muscles; and the control group received only PT. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan was used to evaluate the activation or inhibition of the affected and unaffected primary motor cortex. No adverse effect was reported. Most of the clinical outcome scores improved significantly in all groups, however no statistically significant difference was found between groups due to the small sample sizes. The highest percent improvement scores were observed in TMS + NMES group (varying between 48 and 99.3%) and the lowest scores in control group (varying between 13.1 and 28.1%). Hand motor recovery was significant in both experimental groups while it did not change in control group. Some motor cortex excitability changes were also observed in fMRI. LF-rTMS with or without NMES seems to facilitate the motor recovery in the paretic hand of patients with acute/subacute ischemic stroke. TMS or the combination of TMS + NMES may be a promising additional therapy in upper limb motor training. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to establish their effectiveness in upper limb motor rehabilitation of stroke.

Full Text Available Peripheral somatosensory circuits are known to respond to diverse stimulus modalities. The energy modalities capable of eliciting somatosensory responses traditionally belong to mechanical, thermal, electromagnetic, and photonic domains. Ultrasound (US applied to the periphery has also been reported to evoke diverse somatosensations. These observations however have been based primarily on subjective reports and lack neurophysiological descriptions. To investigate the effects of peripherally applied US on human somatosensory brain circuit activity we recorded evoked potentials using electroencephalography and conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD responses to fingertip stimulation with pulsed US. We found a pulsed US waveform designed to elicit a mild vibration sensation reliably triggered evoked potentials having distinct waveform morphologies including a large double-peaked vertex potential. Fingertip stimulation with this pulsed US waveform also led to the appearance of BOLD signals in brain regions responsible for somatosensory discrimination including the primary somatosensory cortex and parietal operculum, as well as brain regions involved in hierarchical somatosensory processing, such as the insula, anterior middle cingulate cortex, and supramarginal gyrus. By changing the energy profile of the pulsed US stimulus waveform we observed pulsed US can differentially activate somatosensory circuits and alter subjective reports that are concomitant with changes in evoked potential morphology and BOLD response patterns. Based on these observations we conclude pulsed US can functionally stimulate different somatosensory fibers and receptors, which may permit new approaches to the study and diagnosis of peripheral nerve injury, dysfunction, and disease.

Normal aging is characteristic with the gradual decline in cognitive function associated with the progressive reduction of structural and functional plasticity in the hippocampus. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has developed into a novel neurological and psychiatric tool that can be used to investigate the neurobiology of cognitive function. Recent studies have demonstrated that low-frequency rTMS (≤1Hz) affects synaptic plasticity in rats with vascular dementia (VaD), and it ameliorates the spatial cognitive ability in mice with Aβ1-42-mediated memory deficits, but there are little concerns about the effects of rTMS on normal aging related cognition and synaptic plasticity changes. Thus, the current study investigated the effects of rTMS on spatial memory behavior, neuron and synapse morphology in the hippocampus, and synaptic protein markers and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) in normal aging mice, to illustrate the mechanisms of rTMS in regulating cognitive capacity. Relative to adult animals, aging caused hippocampal-dependent cognitive impairment, simultaneously inhibited the activation of the BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway, reduced the transcription and expression of synaptic protein markers: synaptophysin (SYN), growth associated protein 43 (GAP43) and post-synaptic density protein 95 (PSD95), as well as decreased synapse density and PSD (post-synaptic density) thickness. Interestingly, rTMS with low intensity (110% average resting motor threshold intensity, 1Hz, LIMS) triggered the activation of BDNF and TrkB, upregulated the level of synaptic protein markers, and increased synapse density and thickened PSD, and further reversed the spatial cognition dysfunction in aging mice. Conversely, high-intensity magnetic stimulation (150% average resting motor threshold intensity, 1Hz, HIMS) appeared to be detrimental, inducing thinning of PSDs, disordered synaptic structure, and a large number of

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is emerging as a new therapeutic tool in epilepsy, where it can be used to suppress seizures or treat comorbid conditions such as mood disorder. However, as rTMS carries a risk of inducing seizures among other adverse events, its safety and tolerability in the population with epilepsy warrant distinct consideration, as this group is especially seizure-prone. Accordingly, we performed a review of the literature to estimate the risk of seizures and other adverse events associated with rTMS in patients with epilepsy. We performed an English-language literature search, and reviewed all studies published from January 1990 to February 2007 in which patients with epilepsy were treated with rTMS, and complemented the literature search with personal correspondence with authors when necessary. We identified 30 publications that described patients with epilepsy who underwent rTMS, and noted total number of relevant subjects, medication usage, incidence of adverse events, and rTMS parameters including stimulus frequency, number of stimuli, train duration, intertrain interval, coil type, and stimulation sites. The data were analyzed for adverse events related to rTMS. Crude per-subject risk, as well as per-subject mean risk weighted by sample size and risk per 1000 stimuli weighted by number of stimuli in each study, were computed for seizures and for other adverse events. Adverse events or lack thereof was reported in 26 studies (n=280 subjects). Adverse events attributed to rTMS were generally mild and occurred in 17.1% of subjects. Headache was most common, occurring in 9.6%. The most serious adverse event was seizure during treatment, which occurred in four patients (1.4% crude per-subject risk). All but one case were the patients' typical seizures with respect to duration and semiology, and were associated with low-frequency rTMS. A single case of an atypical seizure appearing to arise from the region of stimulation

Hypokinetic dysarthria in Parkinson's disease (PD) can be characterized by monotony of pitch and loudness, reduced stress, variable rate, imprecise consonants, and a breathy and harsh voice. Using acoustic analysis, we studied the effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied over the primary orofacial sensorimotor area (SM1) and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on motor aspects of voiced speech in PD. Twelve non-depressed and non-demented men with PD (mean age 64.58 ± 8.04 years, mean PD duration 10.75 ± 7.48 years) and 21 healthy age-matched men (a control group, mean age 64 ± 8.55 years) participated in the speech study. The PD patients underwent two sessions of 10 Hz rTMS over the dominant hemisphere with 2,250 stimuli/day in a random order: (1) over the SM1; (2) over the left DLPFC in the "on" motor state. Speech examination comprised the perceptual rating of global speech performance and an acoustic analysis based upon a standardized speech task. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare acoustic speech variables between controls and PD patients. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare data prior to and after each stimulation in the PD group. rTMS applied over the left SM1 was associated with a significant increase in harmonic-to-noise ratio and net speech rate in the sentence tasks. With respect to the vowel task results, increased median values and range of Teager-Kaiser energy operator, increased vowel space area, and significant jitter decrease were observed after the left SM1 stimulation. rTMS over the left DLPFC did not induce any significant effects. The positive results of acoustic analysis were not reflected in a subjective rating of speech performance quality as assessed by a speech therapist. Our pilot results indicate that one session of rTMS applied over the SM1 may lead to measurable improvement in voice quality and intensity and an increase in speech rate and tongue movements

Generating renewable energy while sequestering CO2 using algae has recently attracted significant research attention, mostly directing towards biological methods such as systems biology, genetic engineering and bio-refining for optimizing algae strains. Other approaches focus on chemical screening to adjust culture conditions or culture media. We report for the first time the physiological changes of algal cells in response to a novel form of mechanical stimulation, or a pulsed wave at the frequency of 1.5 MHz and the duty cycle of 20%. We studied how the pulsed wave can further increase algal lipid production on top of existing biological and chemical methods. Two commonly used algal strains, fresh-water Chlorella vulgaris and seawater Tetraselmis chuii, were selected. We have performed the tests in shake flasks and 1 L spinner-flask bioreactors. Conventional Gravimetric measurements show that up to 20% increase for algal lipid could be achieved after 8 days of stimulation. The total electricity cost needed for the stimulations in a one-liter bioreactor is only one-tenth of a US penny. Gas liquid chromatography shows that the fatty acid composition remains unchanged after pulsed-wave stimulation. Scanning electron microscope results also suggest that pulsed wave stimulation induces shear stress and thus increases algal lipid production. PMID:28186124

Generating renewable energy while sequestering CO2 using algae has recently attracted significant research attention, mostly directing towards biological methods such as systems biology, genetic engineering and bio-refining for optimizing algae strains. Other approaches focus on chemical screening to adjust culture conditions or culture media. We report for the first time the physiological changes of algal cells in response to a novel form of mechanical stimulation, or a pulsed wave at the frequency of 1.5 MHz and the duty cycle of 20%. We studied how the pulsed wave can further increase algal lipid production on top of existing biological and chemical methods. Two commonly used algal strains, fresh-water Chlorella vulgaris and seawater Tetraselmis chuii, were selected. We have performed the tests in shake flasks and 1 L spinner-flask bioreactors. Conventional Gravimetric measurements show that up to 20% increase for algal lipid could be achieved after 8 days of stimulation. The total electricity cost needed for the stimulations in a one-liter bioreactor is only one-tenth of a US penny. Gas liquid chromatography shows that the fatty acid composition remains unchanged after pulsed-wave stimulation. Scanning electron microscope results also suggest that pulsed wave stimulation induces shear stress and thus increases algal lipid production.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate characteristics of luminescence signals resulting from pulsed optical stimulation of feldspars and thereby to understand the underlying processes giving rise to the signal. Fourteen different feldspar specimens were investigated using time...... suggests that the TR-OSL signal decay is governed by the recombination process and not by the excited state lifetime. Furthermore data from the TR-OSL signal dependence on stimulation time and preheat temperature suggest that the recombination process may not be a sum of exponentials, although the model......-resolved optically stimulated luminescence (TR-OSL), and these signals can be mathematically described as a sum of 4 exponential components (a, b, c, d). The slowest component, d, increases with the duration of the light pulse as expected from the exponential model. The stimulation temperature dependence experiment...

In this paper, we apply a real time activity-dependent protocol to study how freely swimming weakly electric fish produce and process the timing of their own electric signals. Specifically, we address this study in the elephant fish, Gnathonemus petersii, an animal that uses weak discharges to locate obstacles or food while navigating, as well as for electro-communication with conspecifics. To investigate how the inter pulse intervals vary in response to external stimuli, we compare the response to a simple closed-loop stimulation protocol and the signals generated without electrical stimulation. The activity-dependent stimulation protocol explores different stimulus delivery delays relative to the fish's own electric discharges. We show that there is a critical time delay in this closed-loop interaction, as the largest changes in inter pulse intervals occur when the stimulation delay is below 100 ms. We also discuss the implications of these findings in the context of information processing in weakly electric fish.

A phase modulator is employed in the scheme of soliton pulse compression with dispersion shifted fiber (DSF). Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effect, as a negative influence here, can be dramatically suppressed after optical phase modulation. The experimental result shows that the launched power required for high-order soliton pulse compression has been significantly increased by 11 dB under the condition of 100-MHz phase modulation. Accordingly, the experiment of picosecond pulse compression generated from electro-absorption sampling window (EASW) has also been implemented.

Ionization of hydrogen atom in the field of high-intense ultra-short femto-second laser pulse recently became the subject of comprehensive theoretical approaches. On the other hand, there exists experimental evidence that short electric pulses can effectively stimulate electron-proton (as well as antiproton-positron) recombination to high-level (Rydberg) state. In this paper we present the results of the theoretical estimations of antiproton-positron recombination cross-section in cold mixed plasmas in traps in the conditions of ATHENA/ATRAP experiments in CERN under the action of sub-fs laser pulse with TW intensity. (2 refs).

Recumbent cycling exercise achieved by functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the paralyzed leg muscles is effective for cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal conditioning after spinal cord injury, but its full potential has not yet been realized. Mechanical power output and efficiency is very low and endurance is limited due to early onset of muscle fatigue. The aim of this work was to compare stochastic modulation of the inter-pulse interval (IPI) to constant-frequency stimulation during ...

This paper investigated the capacity of plants (Schlumbergera truncata, Aloe vera var. chinensis, Chlorophytum comosum, Schlumbergera bridgesii, Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var. friedrichii, Aspidistra elatior, Cymbidium kanran, Echinocactus grusonii, Agave americana var. marginata, Asparagus setaceus) to generate negative air ions (NAI) under pulsed electric field stimulation. The results showed that single plant generated low amounts of NAI in natural condition. The capacity of C. comosum and G. mihanovichii var. friedrichii generated most NAI among the above ten species, with a daily average of 43 ion · cm(-3). The least one was A. americana var. marginata with the value of 19 ion · cm(-3). When proper pulsed electric field stimulation was applied to soil, the NAI of ten plant species were greatly improved. The effect of pulsed electric field u3 (average voltage over the pulse period was 2.0 x 10(4) V, pulse frequency was 1 Hz, and pulse duration was 50 ms) was the greatest. The mean NAI concentration of C. kanran was the highest 1454967 ion · cm(-3), which was 48498.9 times as much as that in natural condition. The lowest one was S. truncata with the value of 34567 ion · cm(-3), which was 843.1 times as much as that in natural condition. The capacity of the same plants to generate negative air ion varied extremely under different intensity pulsed electric fields.

Nanoscale gas bubbles residing on a macroscale hydrophobic surface have a surprising long lifetime (on the order of days) and can serve as cavitation nuclei for initiating inertial cavitation (IC). Whether interfacial nanobubbles (NBs) reside on the infinite surface of a hydrophobic nanoparticle (NP) and could serve as cavitation nuclei is unknown, but this would be very meaningful for the development of sonosensitive NPs. To address this problem, we investigated the IC activity of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) NPs, which are regarded as benchmark superhydrophobic NPs due to their low surface energy caused by the presence of fluorocarbon. Both a passive cavitation detection system and terephthalic dosimetry was applied to quantify the intensity of IC. The IC intensities of the suspension with PTFE NPs were 10.30 and 48.41 times stronger than those of deionized water for peak negative pressures of 2 and 5MPa, respectively. However, the IC activities were nearly completely inhibited when the suspension was degassed or ethanol was used to suspend PTFE NPs, and they were recovered when suspended in saturated water, which may indicates the presence of interfacial NBs on PTFE NPs surfaces. Importantly, these PTFE NPs could sustainably initiate IC for excitation by a sequence of at least 6000 pulses, whereas lipid microbubbles were completely depleted after the application of no more than 50 pulses under the same conditions. The terephthalic dosimetry has shown that much higher hydroxyl yields were achieved when PTFE NPs were present as cavitation nuclei when using ultrasound parameters that otherwise did not produce significant amounts of free radicals. These results show that superhydrophobic NPs may be an outstanding candidate for use in IC-related applications.

Combining the self-stimulated Raman scattering technology and saturable absorber of Cr4+:YAG, a 1.17 μm c-cut Nd:GdVO4 picosecond Q-switched laser is demonstrated in this paper. With an incident pump power of 10 W, the Q-switched laser with average power of 430 mW for 1.17 μm, pulse width of 270 ps, repetition rate of 13 kHz and the first order Stokes conversion efficiency of 4.3% is obtained. The Q-switched pulse width can be the narrowest in our research. In addition, the yellow laser at 0.58 μm is also achieved by using the LiB3O5 frequency doubling crystal.

A solid state high power long pulse generator has been designed and constructed based on the key technologies of magnetic switch,low impedance pulse forming line,and inductive voltage adder,which was verified by single mode operation for peak power of 2 GW.For repetitive operation,a repetitive primary power supply of moderate voltage level was developed,the two stage magnetic pulse compressor was improved from aspects of reset and insulation,the pulsed charging was optimized where the inductive voltage adder was utilized for pulsed voltage step-up as well as for pulse charging and on-line direct current (DC)re-set was achieved by reasonable design of reset current path.At present,the experimental results achieved on a dummy load are output pulsed power of 2.1 GW,pulse width of 1 70 ns,repetitive rate of 20 Hz,operation time of 1 s and good for repeatability. For further improvement,the pseudospark switch would be replaced by serial connected thyristors to accomplish all solid-state de-sign.%基于固态化磁开关、低阻抗脉冲形成网络和感应电压叠加等关键技术，提出并研制了一台固态化高功率长脉冲驱动源。在前期通过2 GW 单次实验验证技术方案的基础上，研制了中等电压等级的重复频率初级电源；改进了两级磁脉冲压缩系统的复位和绝缘特性；优化了系统整体电路结构，利用感应电压叠加器完成充电磁开关和脉冲升压的双重功能；设计了合理的复位路径，实现了各部分磁芯的在线直流复位；并开展了重频运行研究。在电阻负载上获得了输出功率2.1 GW、脉宽约170 ns、重复频率20 Hz 及运行时间1 s 的实验结果，脉冲波形的重叠一致性好。

Although repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in treatment of stroke in humans has been explored over the past decade the data remain controversial in terms of optimal stimulation parameters and the mechanisms of rTMS long-term effects. This study aimed to explore the potential of different rTMS protocols to induce changes in gene expression in rat cortices after acute ischemic-reperfusion brain injury. The stroke was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with subsequent reperfusion. Changes in the expression of 96 genes were examined using low-density expression arrays after MCAO alone and after MCAO combined with 1Hz, 5Hz, continuous (cTBS) and intermittent (iTBS) theta-burst rTMS. rTMS over the lesioned hemisphere was given for two weeks (with a 2-day pause) in a single daily session and a total of 2400 pulses. MCAO alone induced significant upregulation in the expression of 44 genes and downregulation in 10. Two weeks of iTBS induced significant increase in the expression of 52 genes. There were no downregulated genes. 1Hz and 5Hz had no significant effects on gene expression, while cTBS effects were negligible. Upregulated genes included those involved in angiogenesis, inflammation, injury response and cellular repair, structural remodeling, neuroprotection, neurotransmission and neuronal plasticity. The results show that long-term rTMS in acute ischemic-reperfusion brain injury induces complex changes in gene expression that span multiple pathways, which generally promote the recovery. They also demonstrate that induced changes primarily depend on the rTMS frequency (1Hz and 5Hz vs. iTBS) and pattern (cTBS vs. iTBS). The results further underlines the premise that one of the benefits of rTMS application in stroke may be to prime the brain, enhancing its potential to cope with the injury and to rewire. This could further augment its potential to favorably respond to rehabilitation, and to restore some of the loss functions.

Full Text Available Although repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS in treatment of stroke in humans has been explored over the past decade the data remain controversial in terms of optimal stimulation parameters and the mechanisms of rTMS long-term effects. This study aimed to explore the potential of different rTMS protocols to induce changes in gene expression in rat cortices after acute ischemic-reperfusion brain injury. The stroke was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO with subsequent reperfusion. Changes in the expression of 96 genes were examined using low-density expression arrays after MCAO alone and after MCAO combined with 1Hz, 5Hz, continuous (cTBS and intermittent (iTBS theta-burst rTMS. rTMS over the lesioned hemisphere was given for two weeks (with a 2-day pause in a single daily session and a total of 2400 pulses. MCAO alone induced significant upregulation in the expression of 44 genes and downregulation in 10. Two weeks of iTBS induced significant increase in the expression of 52 genes. There were no downregulated genes. 1Hz and 5Hz had no significant effects on gene expression, while cTBS effects were negligible. Upregulated genes included those involved in angiogenesis, inflammation, injury response and cellular repair, structural remodeling, neuroprotection, neurotransmission and neuronal plasticity. The results show that long-term rTMS in acute ischemic-reperfusion brain injury induces complex changes in gene expression that span multiple pathways, which generally promote the recovery. They also demonstrate that induced changes primarily depend on the rTMS frequency (1Hz and 5Hz vs. iTBS and pattern (cTBS vs. iTBS. The results further underlines the premise that one of the benefits of rTMS application in stroke may be to prime the brain, enhancing its potential to cope with the injury and to rewire. This could further augment its potential to favorably respond to rehabilitation, and to restore some of the loss

Fluctuations of dopamine levels and upregulations of NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation in the striatum have been connected with levodopa (L-dopa)-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson's disease (PD). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is one of the noninvasive and potential method treating dyskinesia. Yet, the effect of rTMS on the above key pathological events remains unclear. In this study, we gave L-dopa treatment intraperitoneally for 22 days to 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned PD rats to prepare LID rats model, and subsequently applied rTMS daily for 3 weeks to LID rats model. The effect of rTMS on abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) was assessed. After ending the experiments, we further determined tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive dopaminergic neurons number by immunohistochemistry, dopamine levels by HPLC, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) levels by ELISA, NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation and interactions of NR2B with Fyn by immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation. The results demonstrated that rTMS obviously attenuated AIMs scores, reduced the loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons and the fluctuations of striatal dopamine levels. Meanwhile, rTMS significantly increased the expression of GDNF, which couldrestore the damage of dopaminergic neurons. Additionally, rTMS also reduced the levels of the NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation andits interactions with Fyn in the lesioned striatum of LID rats model. Thus, these data indicate that rTMS can provide benefit for the therapy of LID by improving the key biochemical deficits related to dyskinesia.

Full Text Available Behavioral studies support the concept of an auditory spatial attention gradient by demonstrating that attentional benefits progressively diminish as distance increases from an attended location. Damage to the right inferior parietal cortex can induce a rightward attention bias, which implicates this region in the construction of attention gradients. This study used event-related potentials (ERPs to define attention-related gradients before and after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS to the right inferior parietal cortex. Subjects (n = 16 listened to noise bursts at five azimuth locations (left to right: -90°, -45°, 0° midline, +45°, +90° and responded to stimuli at one target location (-90°, +90°, separate blocks. ERPs as a function of non-target location were examined before (baseline and after 0.9 Hz rTMS. Results showed that ERP attention gradients were observed in three time windows (frontal 230-340, parietal 400-460, frontal 550-750 ms. Significant transient rTMS effects were seen in the first and third windows. The first window had a voltage decrease at the farthest location when attending to either the left or right side. The third window had on overall increase in positivity, but only when attending to the left side. These findings suggest that rTMS induced a small contraction in spatial attention gradients within the first time window. The asymmetric effect of attended location on gradients in the third time window may relate to neglect of the left hemispace after right parietal injury. Together, these results highlight the role of the right inferior parietal cortex in modulating frontal lobe attention network activity.

In this study, we conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis on the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) compared with sham in chronic tinnitus patients. We searched databases, from their onset up to August 2014, for randomized controlled trials (RCT) in English that assessed the effectiveness of rTMS for chronic tinnitus. RCTs were selected according to inclusion/exclusion criteria before data were extracted. For the meta-analysis weighted mean differences (and standard deviations) of Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) scores were determined. Therapeutic success was defined as difference of at least 7 points in the THI score between baseline and the follow-up assessment after treatment. The odds ratio (OR) for this variable was assessed. Results from 15 RCTs were analyzed. The mean difference for TQ score at 1 week after intervention was 3.42. For THI, the data of mean difference score in two groups, 1 and 6 month after intervention, was 6.71 and 12.89, respectively. The all comparisons indicated a significant medium to large effect size in follow-up which is in favor of the rTMS. The pooled OR of therapeutic success of the studies which used THI at 1 month after intervention was 15.75. These data underscore the clinical effect of rTMS in the treatment of tinnitus. However, there is high variability of studies design and reported outcomes. Replication of data in multicenter trials with a large number of patients and long-term follow-up is needed before further conclusions can be drawn.

Full Text Available Several studies have addressed the issue of how knowledge of common objects is organized in the brain, whereas the cognitive and anatomical underpinnings of familiar people knowledge have been less explored. Here we applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS over the left and right temporal poles before asking healthy individuals to perform a speeded word-to-picture matching task using familiar people and common objects as stimuli. We manipulated two widely used semantic variables, namely the semantic distance and the familiarity of stimuli, to assess whether the semantic organization of familiar people knowledge is similar to that of common objects. For both objects and faces we reliably found semantic distance and familiarity effects, with less accurate and slower responses for stimulus pairs that were more closely related and less familiar. However, the effects of semantic variables differed across categories, with semantic distance effects larger for objects and familiarity effects larger for faces, suggesting that objects and faces might share a partially comparable organization of their semantic representations. The application of rTMS to the left temporal pole modulated, for both categories, semantic distance, but not familiarity effects, revealing that accessing object and face concepts might rely on overlapping processes within left anterior temporal regions. Crucially, rTMS of the left temporal pole affected only the recognition of pairs of stimuli that could be discriminated at specific levels of categorization (e.g., two kitchen tools or two famous persons, with no effect for discriminations at either superordinate or individual levels. Conversely, rTMS of the right temporal pole induced an overall slowing of reaction times that positively correlated with the visual similarity of the stimuli, suggesting a more perceptual rather than semantic role of the right anterior temporal regions. Results are discussed in the

Several studies have addressed the issue of how knowledge of common objects is organized in the brain, whereas the cognitive and anatomical underpinnings of familiar people knowledge have been less explored. Here we applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left and right temporal poles before asking healthy individuals to perform a speeded word-to-picture matching task using familiar people and common objects as stimuli. We manipulated two widely used semantic variables, namely the semantic distance and the familiarity of stimuli, to assess whether the semantic organization of familiar people knowledge is similar to that of common objects. For both objects and faces we reliably found semantic distance and familiarity effects, with less accurate and slower responses for stimulus pairs that were more closely related and less familiar. However, the effects of semantic variables differed across categories, with semantic distance effects larger for objects and familiarity effects larger for faces, suggesting that objects and faces might share a partially comparable organization of their semantic representations. The application of rTMS to the left temporal pole modulated, for both categories, semantic distance, but not familiarity effects, revealing that accessing object and face concepts might rely on overlapping processes within left anterior temporal regions. Crucially, rTMS of the left temporal pole affected only the recognition of pairs of stimuli that could be discriminated at specific levels of categorization (e.g., two kitchen tools or two famous persons), with no effect for discriminations at either superordinate or individual levels. Conversely, rTMS of the right temporal pole induced an overall slowing of reaction times that positively correlated with the visual similarity of the stimuli, suggesting a more perceptual rather than semantic role of the right anterior temporal regions. Results are discussed in the light of current

(CS) and the test stimulus (TS). The aim of the present methodological study was to optimize stimulus parameters for ppTMS studies of tongue motor control by examining the influence of different ISI and intensities of the CS on SICI and ICF. Methods: 17 healthy volunteers participated (mean age: 22.......6±0.8 years). ppTMS was applied to the “hot-spot” of the tongue motor cortex and motor evoked potential (MEPs) were recorded from the tongue muscles with surface EMG electrodes. TS intensity was set at 120% of resting motor threshold (rMT). Single pulse and six different ISIs for ppTMS: 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 10, 15...... different intensities of CS and ISIs. Conclusion: Significant SICI but no ICF was evoked with the present stimulus paradigms. The two stimulus intensities of the CS evoked similar responses. These results may be applied in future studies on the effect of tongue training on SICI and ICF in the tongue motor...

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used widely in various psychiatric disorders like depression and schizophrenia. There have been some reports of its usefulness in alcohol dependence and substance use disorders. The present paper reviews the studies done using rTMS in substance use disorders including alcohol and nicotine dependence. Various studies done have been reviewed including the proposed mechanisms of action are outlined with the future research needs and need for further clinical data PMID:25337357

Experimental results from humans and animals show that electrically evoked compound action potential (EAP) responses to constant-amplitude pulse train stimulation can demonstrate an alternating pattern, due to the combined effects of highly synchronized responses to electrical stimulation and refractory effects (Wilson et al., 1994). One way to improve signal representation is to reduce the level of across-fiber synchrony and hence, the level of the amplitude alternation. To accomplish this goal, we have examined EAP responses in the presence of Gaussian noise added to the pulse train stimulus. Addition of Gaussian noise at a level approximately -30 dB relative to EAP threshold to the pulse trains decreased the amount of alternation, indicating that stochastic resonance may be induced in the auditory nerve. The use of some type of conditioning stimulus such as Gaussian noise may provide a more 'normal' neural response pattern.

Full Text Available Background/Aims. 20 Kilodalton-hGH (20 K-hGH is the second most abundant pituitary GH variant after 22 K-hGH. In the steady state the proportion of 20 : 22 K-hGH appears constant; does this proportion change with repetitive somatotroph stimulation? Methods. Forty adult males were randomised to receive a GHRH(1–29NH2 bolus (0.5 μg/kg (n=20 or 1.0 μg/kg (n=20, preceded or followed by a saline bolus, 1 week apart. Four to six weeks later, 10 subjects received 0.5 μg/kg GHRH(1–29NH2 at 0, 60, 120, and 180 minutes. Clearance rate of 22 and 20 K-hGH was measured in 10 subjects. Results. Total amount/proportion of 22 K-hGH/20 K-hGH secreted was similar for both GHRH(1–29NH2 doses. Repetitivestimulation reduced the amount of 22 K-hGH released whereas the amount of 20 K-hGH did not change significantly leading to an increase in the proportion of 20 K-hGH (P=.05. Half-life of 20 and 22 K-hGH were not significantly different (P=.55. Conclusions. Repetitivestimulation of the somatotroph may alter the proportion of GH variant released.

Full Text Available Background/Aims. 20 Kilodalton-hGH (20 K-hGH is the second most abundant pituitary GH variant after 22 K-hGH. In the steady state the proportion of 20 : 22 K-hGH appears constant; does this proportion change with repetitive somatotroph stimulation? Methods. Forty adult males were randomised to receive a GHRH(1–29 bolus ( or (, preceded or followed by a saline bolus, 1 week apart. Four to six weeks later, 10 subjects received GHRH(1–29 at 0, 60, 120, and 180 minutes. Clearance rate of 22 and 20 K-hGH was measured in 10 subjects. Results. Total amount/proportion of 22 K-hGH/20 K-hGH secreted was similar for both GHRH(1–29 doses. Repetitivestimulation reduced the amount of 22 K-hGH released whereas the amount of 20 K-hGH did not change significantly leading to an increase in the proportion of 20 K-hGH . Half-life of 20 and 22 K-hGH were not significantly different . Conclusions. Repetitivestimulation of the somatotroph may alter the proportion of GH variant released.

Human γδ T cells expressing Vγ2Vδ2 T cell receptors monitor foreign- and self-prenyl pyrophosphate metabolites in isoprenoid biosynthesis to mediate immunity to microbes and tumors. Adoptive immunotherapy with Vγ2Vδ2 T cells has been used to treat cancer patients with partial and complete remissions. Most clinical trials and preclinical studies have used continuous zoledronate exposure to expand Vγ2Vδ2 cells where zoledronate is slowly diluted over the course of the culture. Zoledronate inhibits farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FDPS) in monocytes causing isopentenyl pyrophosphate to accumulate that then stimulates Vγ2Vδ2 cells. Because zoledronate inhibition of FDPS is also toxic for T cells, we hypothesized that a short period of exposure would reduce T cell toxicity but still be sufficient for monocytes uptake. Additionally, IL-15 increases the anti-tumor activity of murine αβ T cells in mice but its effect on the in vivo anti-tumor activity of human Vγ2Vδ2 cells has not been assessed. Human Vγ2Vδ2 T cells were expanded by pulse or continuous zoledronate stimulation with IL-2 or IL-15. Expanded Vγ2Vδ2 cells were tested for their expression of effector molecules and killing of tumor cells as well as their in vivo control of human prostate cancer tumors in immunodeficient NSG mice. Pulse zoledronate stimulation with either IL-2 or IL-15 resulted in more uniform expansion of Vγ2Vδ2 cells with higher purity and cell numbers as compared with continuous exposure. The Vγ2Vδ2 cells had higher levels of CD107a and perforin and increased tumor cytotoxicity. Adoptive immunotherapy with Vγ2Vδ2 cells derived by pulsestimulation controlled human PC-3 prostate cancer tumors in NSG mice significantly better than those derived by continuous stimulation, halting tumor growth. Although pulse zoledronate stimulation with IL-15 preserved early memory subsets, adoptive immunotherapy with IL-15-derived Vγ2Vδ2 cells equally inhibited PC-3 tumor growth as those

Pulsedstimulation has earlier been proven useful for several applications in dosimetry and luminescence research. Pulsedstimulation has been integrated in the Risø TL/OSL reader along with a software control built into the Sequence Editor. To facilitate research of the lifetime or delay involved...

Pulsed near-infrared radiation has been proposed as an alternative stimulus for auditory nerve stimulation and could be potentially used in the design of cochlear implant. Although the infrared with high absorption coefficient of water (i.e., wavelength ranged from 1.8 to 2.2 μm) has been widely investigated, the lymph in the cochlea absorbs most of the infrared energies, and only a small part can arrive at the target auditory nerves. The present study is aimed to test whether the short-wavelength near-infrared irradiation with lower absorption coefficients can penetrate the lymph fluid to stimulate the auditory nerves. An 808-nm near-infrared laser was chosen to stimulate the auditory nerve in the guinea pig cochlea. The infrared pulse was delivered by an optical fiber that was surgically inserted near the round window membrane and oriented toward the spiral ganglion cells in the basal turn of the cochlea. The 2-Hz infrared pulses were used to stimulate the cochlea before and after the deafness with different pulse durations (100-1,000 μs). Optically evoked compound action potentials (oCAPs) were recorded during the infrared radiation. We successfully recorded oCAPs from both normal hearing animals and deafened animals. The oCAP amplitude increased with the infrared radiation energy. The preliminary experiment suggests that the near-infrared with lower absorption coefficients can effectively pass through the lymph filled in the cochlea and stimulate the auditory nerve. Further studies will optimize the deafness animal model and determine the optimal stimulation parameters.

A high-power repetitivelypulsed e-beam-controlled discharge CO2 laser is simulated numerically; the simulation results are compared with experimental data. Optimal sizes and design of electrodes and configuration of the external magnetic field are found, which allow one to introduce no less than 90% electric pump energy into a specified volume of the active medium, including the active volume of a laser with an aperture of 110 × 110 cm. The results obtained can also be used to design other types of highpower gas lasers.

A novel all-diode-pumped master oscillator power amplifier system based on Yb:YAG crystal rods has been developed. It consists of a Q-switched oscillator delivering 3 mJ, 6.4 ns pulses at a 10 Hz repetition rate and an additional four-pass amplifier, which boosts the output energy to 220 mJ, while a close to TEM(00) beam quality could be observed. Additionally a simulation of the amplification was written that allows for further scaling considerations.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an all-optical Nyquist sinc-shaped pulse train source based on intensity modulation and four-wave mixing. The proposed scheme allows for the tunability of the bandwidth and the full flexibility of the repetition rate in the limit of the electronic bandwidth of the modulators used through the flexible synthesis of rectangular frequency combs. Bandwidth up to 360 GHz at 40 GHz rate and up to 45 frequency lines at 5 GHz rate are demonstrated with 40 GHz modulators.

Full Text Available It has been estimated that up to 80% of people will experience symptoms of tinnitus over the courses of their lives, with rates of comorbid sleeping problems ranging from 50 to 77%. Because of a potential connection between tinnitus and sleep disorders as well as high rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders, interdisciplinary approaches to treatment seem to be the most efficient option. In this study, we present the case of a 53-year-old male patient, who started to experience symptoms of tinnitus at the age of 49, most likely caused by work-related stress. Over the course of his illness, the patient developed comorbid insomnia. He consulted us for treatment of both conditions and we developed a treatment plan with ten sessions of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS followed by 10 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT. We used the Tinnitus Fragebogen (TF to assess the severity of the tinnitus, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II for depressive symptoms, and the WHO Well-being Index (WHO-5 for subjective well-being. Improvements could be achieved with regard to both diagnoses and the patient went from severe (48 to clinically negligible (12 TF scores, from minimal (BDI-II score 10 to no (0 depressive symptoms, and from just above critical (WHO-5 percentile 52 to above average (84 well-being. The combination of technological and psychological approaches to treat tinnitus and insomnia thus proved successful in this case. One may therefore conclude that rTMS may be considered an effective first therapeutic step for tinnitus treatment prior to CBT. To our knowledge this is the first published case in which rTMS and CBT were combined for tinnitus therapy. The approach proved successful since it led to a considerable increase in well-being and everyday functioning. To gauge the effect on a more general level, large-scale studies are still needed to cancel out potential placebo effects. Likewise, the importance of the order of

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive method to excite neurons in the brain. However, the underlying mechanism of its therapeutic effects in stroke remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effect of high-frequency rTMS in a rat model of transient cerebral ischaemia using positron emission tomography (PET). Sprague-Dawley rats (n=30) were anaesthetized with chloral hydrate and subjected to 90 min of intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with subsequent reperfusion in three groups: control (n=10), rTMS (n=10), or sham-rTMS groups (n=10). In the rTMS group, rTMS was given 1 h after ischaemia and every 24 h for 7 days after MCAO. In all three groups, small-animal PET (microPET) imaging with {sup 18}F-FDG was used to evaluate brain glucose metabolism. Apoptotic molecules were measured in the infarct margin using immunohistochemical staining. The neurological scores of the rats in the rTMS group were higher than in those of the control group over the whole 7-day observation period. The total, cortical and striatal infarct volumes were significantly less in the rTMS group than in the control group, as measured by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. {sup 18}F-FDG microPET images showed significantly higher standardized uptake values in the cortex and striatum in the rTMS group than in the control group in the affected hemisphere. The number of cells positive for caspase-3 was significantly lower in the rTMS group than in the control group, while the Bcl-2/Bax ratio was significantly higher in the rTMS group than in the control group. rTMS therapy increased glucose metabolism and inhibited apoptosis in the ischaemic hemisphere. {sup 18}F-FDG PET could be used to monitor rTMS therapy in transient cerebral ischaemia in animal studies and in future clinical trials. (orig.)

Full Text Available Several brain diseases are characterized by abnormalneuronal synchronization. Desynchronization of abnormal neural synchronyis theoretically compelling because of the complex dynamical mechanismsinvolved. We here present a novel type of coordinated reset (CR stimulation.CR means to deliver phase resetting stimuli at different neuronalsub-populations sequentially, i.e. at times equidistantly distributedin a stimulation cycle. This uniform timing pattern seems to be intuitiveand actually applies to the neural network models used for the studyof CR so far. CR resets the population to an unstable cluster statefrom where it passes through a desynchronized transient, eventuallyresynchronizing if left unperturbed. In contrast, we show that theoptimal stimulation times are nonuniform. Using the model of weaklypulse-coupled neurons with phase response curves, we provide an approachthat enables to determine optimal stimulation timing patterns thatsubstantially maximize the desynchronized transient time followingthe application of CR stimulation. This approach includes an optimizationsearch for clusters in a low-dimensional pulse coupled map. As a consequence,model-specific non-uniformly spaced cluster states cause considerablylonger desynchronization transients. Intriguingly, such a desynchronizationboost with non-uniform CR stimulation can already be achieved by onlyslight modifications of the uniform CR timing pattern. Our resultssuggest that the non-uniformness of the stimulation times can be amedically valuable parameter in the calibration procedure for CR stimulation,where the latter has successfully been used in clinical and pre-clinicalstudies for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and tinnitus.

Full Text Available Recumbent cycling exercise achieved by functional electrical stimulation (FES of the paralyzed leg muscles is effective for cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal conditioning after spinal cord injury, but its full potential has not yet been realized. Mechanical power output and efficiency is very low and endurance is limited due to early onset of muscle fatigue. The aim of this work was to compare stochastic modulation of the inter-pulse interval (IPI to constant-frequency stimulation during an isokinetic leg extension task similar to FES-cycling. Seven able-bodied subjects participated: both quadriceps muscles were stimulated (n = 14 with two activation patterns (P1-constant frequency, P2-stochastic IPI. There was significantly higher power output with P2 during the first 30 s (p = 0.0092, the last 30 s (p = 0.018 and overall (p = 0.0057, but there was no overall effect on fatiguability when stimulation frequency was randomly modulated.

Recumbent cycling exercise achieved by functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the paralyzed leg muscles is effective for cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal conditioning after spinal cord injury, but its full potential has not yet been realized. Mechanical power output and efficiency is very low and endurance is limited due to early onset of muscle fatigue. The aim of this work was to compare stochastic modulation of the inter-pulse interval (IPI) to constant-frequency stimulation during an isokinetic leg extension task similar to FES-cycling. Seven able-bodied subjects participated: both quadriceps muscles were stimulated (n = 14) with two activation patterns (P1-constant frequency, P2-stochastic IPI). There was significantly higher power output with P2 during the first 30 s (p = 0.0092), the last 30 s (p = 0.018) and overall (p = 0.0057), but there was no overall effect on fatiguability when stimulation frequency was randomly modulated. PMID:27990242

失语是一种常见的卒中并发症.经颅磁刺激是一种无创性脑部刺激方法.一些病例研究和随机对照试验证实了重复经颅磁刺激治疗卒中后失语的有效性,但其具体机制尚不完全清楚.%Aphasia is a common complication of stroke.Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive brain stimulation approach.Some case studies and randomized controlled trials have confirmed the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of poststroke aphasia,but its specific mechanism remains unclear.

A dynamical model of low-frequency=pulsed electron=stimulated desorption is developed. The characteristic of desorbed gas flow is taken as an exponential function, and can be degenerated to a triangular and square wave.The transient pressure is given according to the gas flow of desorbing gas and vacuum system parameters,including the pumping speed and the system volume. Although the mathematical model is deduced from the electron-stimulated desorption, it can be applied to other similar processes of intermittent desorption.

In luminescence dating, the two most commonly used natural minerals, quartz and feldspar, are exposed to different dose rates in the natural environment, and so record different doses. The luminescence signals also have different stabilities. For accurate dosimetry, the signals from these two...... minerals must be separated, either by physical separation of the mineral grains, or by instrumental separation of the luminescence signals. The luminescence signals from quartz and feldspar have different luminescence lifetimes under pulsed optical stimulation. This difference in lifetime can be used...... to discriminate between the two signals from a mixed quartz-feldspar sample. The purpose of this study is to identify optimum measurement conditions for the best separation of quartz OSL from that of feldspar in a mixed sample using pulsedstimulation and time-resolved OSL. We integrate the signal from 5 μs after...

The gas-dynamic perturbations in a repetitivelypulsed DF laser are studied using a Michelson interferometer. Based on the analysis of experimental data obtained in two experimental sets (working medium without buffer gas and with up to 90% of He), it is concluded that such phenomena as isentropic expansion of a thermal plug, gas heating by shock waves and resonance acoustic waves do not considerably decrease the upper limit of the pulserepetition rate below a value determined by the time of the thermal plug flush out of the discharge gap. It is suggested that this decrease for a DF laser with the SF{sub 6} – D{sub 2} working mixture is caused by the development of overheat instability due to an increased energy deposition into the near-electrode regions and to the formation of electrode shock waves. Addition of He to the active media of the DF laser changes the discharge structure and improves its homogeneity over the discharge gape cross section, thus eliminating the reason for the development of this instability. A signification dilution of the active medium of a DF laser with helium up to the atmospheric pressure allowed us to achieve the limiting discharge initiation frequencies with the active medium replacement ratio K ∼ 1. (active media)

We present a preliminary ODE model to sketch the immune response of cytotoxic T cells against cancer through the use of pulsed autologous dendritic cells. The model is partially based on data coming from experiments that are presently in progress in the wet lab of our collaborators, but it can be applied in principle to different tumors. To this end, we show the immune response of cytotoxic T cells stimulated by autologous dendritic cells for different cancers.

A high-energy femtosecond all ytterbium fiber amplifier based on a chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) technique at a repetition rate of 1 MHz seeded by a dispersion-management mode-locked picosecond broadband oscillator is studied. We find that the compressed pulse duration is dependent on the amplified energy, the pulse duration of 804 fs corresponds to the maximum amplified energy of 10.5 μJ, while the shortest pulse duration of 424 fs corresponds to the amplified energy of 6.75 μJ. The measured energy fluctuation is approximately 0.46% root mean square (RMS) over 2 h. The low-cost femtosecond fiber laser source with super-stability will be widely used in industrial micromachines, medical therapy, and scientific studies. Project supported by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2012BAC23B03), the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB922401), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11474002).

Recent advance in ultra-high power laser technology allows a development of laser-based neutron sources. Here we demonstrate heavy-water based neutron source. Using several-mJ energy pulses from a high-repetition rate (½kHz), ultrashort (35 fs) pulsed laser interacting with a 10 μm diameter stream of free-flowing heavy water (D2O), we get a 2.45 MeV neutron flux of 105/s. In the intentionally generated pre-plasma, laser pulse energy is efficiently absorbed, and energetic deuterons are generated. As a convertor, the bulk heavy water stream target and the large volume of low density D2O vapor near the target are collided with accelerated deuterons, generating neutron through d(d,n)3He reactions. As laser pulse energy increased from 6mJ to 12mJ, the neutron flux increased. From the 2D particle-in-cell simulation, comparable neutron fluxes are shown at the similar laser characteristics to the experiment. Also, simulation shows forward and backward moving deuterons, which are main distributing ions impinging upon D2O stream and vapor, respectively. This material is based upon work supported by the Air Force Office of Scien- tific Research under Award Numbers FA9550-12-1-0310 (Young Investigator Program) and FA9550-14-1-0282.

Pulsed-radiofrequency (PRF) electrical stimulation has been widely used for chronic pain treatment. It has been demonstrated with advantages of low temperature over traditional continuous radiofrequency (CRF) lesions with higher amplitude and mono polar electrode to treat pain in clinics (frequency 500 KHz, Pulse duration 20 msec, Amplitude 45 V, Treatment 2 min). We compare the effects of different pulse waveforms and PRF parameters (Pulse duration 25 ms, Treatment duration 5 min, low amplitude of 2.5/1.25 V) with a miniature bi-polar electrode on Dorsal root ganglion (DRG). The pain relief effect due to PRF is evaluated by using Von Frey method for the pain threshold index based on behavior response to mechanical stimulus of various strengths. Experimental results of Von Frey Score show that the sinusoidal group has higher responses than the square wave one. Both fast and secondary expressed proteins of c-fos and pp38 are measured from spinal cord tissue sectioning slides to characterize the pain associated inflammatory responses and their responses due to PRF stimulation.

We present a computer numerical model (virtual sub-nanosecond laser) utilizing intracavity stimulated Raman scattering. The goal of this work is to shorten laser output pulses (for which the highly nonlinear frequency conversion process stimulated Raman scattering is used) and to obtain high efficiency (which is enhanced by placing a Raman-active crystal inside the cavity where the fundamental laser frequency intensity is maximal). The following laser components were modeled: a diodepumped solidstate laser active medium (a crystal of the Nd3+:YLF type), a closed cavity for a wave on its fundamental frequency with a Q-switching element and an internal subcavity with a Ramanactive crystal with controlled output coupler transmission at the Raman frequency. The model components are: a numerical integrator of a set of three rate equations (for an inverse population of the laser medium and for the number of fundamental and Stokes frequency photons), random number sources for radiation seeding, and an interactive data input interface and graphic output. A wide range of parameters was investigated and output pulses as short as 0.8 ns were found. The optimal conditions for the maximal peak power of Stokes pulses were determined and the conditions for generating pulse trains for burst laser machining were identified.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Therapeutic options are limited in functional neurological paresis disorder. Earlier intervention studies did not control for a placebo effect, hampering assessment of effectivity. A proof-of-principle investigation was conducted into the therapeutic potential of repetitive t

Full Text Available In this paper, we apply a real time activity-dependent protocol to study how freely swimming weakly electric fish produce and process the timing of their own electric signals. Specifically, we address this study in the elephant fish, Gnathonemus petersii, an animal that uses weak discharges to locate obstacles or food while navigating, as well as for electro-communication with conspecifics. To investigate how the inter pulse intervals vary in response to external stimuli, we compare the response to a simple closed-loop stimulation protocol and the signals generated without electrical stimulation. The activity-dependent stimulation protocol explores different stimulus delivery delays relative to the fish's own electric discharges. We show that there is a critical time delay in this closed-loop interaction, as the largest changes in inter pulse intervals occur when the stimulation delay is below 100 ms. We also discuss the implications of these findings in the context of information processing in weakly electric fish.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS commonly uses so-called monophasic pulses where the initial rapidly changing current flow is followed by a critically dampened return current. It has been shown that a monophasic TMS pulse preferentially excites different cortical circuits in the human motor hand area (M1-HAND, if the induced tissue current has a posterior-to-anterior (PA or anterior-to-posterior (AP direction. Here we tested whether similar direction-specific effects could be elicited in M1-HAND using TMS pulses with a half-sine wave configuration. Results In 10 young participants, we applied half-sine pulses to the right M1-HAND which elicited PA or AP currents with respect to the orientation of the central sulcus. Measurements of the motor evoked potential (MEP revealed that PA half-sine stimulation resulted in lower resting motor threshold (RMT than AP stimulation. When stimulus intensity (SI was gradually increased as percentage of maximal stimulator output, the stimulus–response curve (SRC of MEP amplitude showed a leftward shift for PA as opposed to AP half-sine stimulation. Further, MEP latencies were approximately 1 ms shorter for PA relative to AP half-sine stimulation across the entire SI range tested. When adjusting SI to the respective RMT of PA and AP stimulation, the direction-specific differences in MEP latencies persisted, while the gain function of MEP amplitudes was comparable for PA and AP stimulation. Conclusions Using half-sine pulse configuration, single-pulse TMS elicits consistent direction-specific effects in M1-HAND that are similar to TMS with monophasic pulses. The longer MEP latency for AP half-sine stimulation suggests that PA and AP half-sine stimulation preferentially activates different sets of cortical neurons that are involved in the generation of different corticospinal descending volleys.

The Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model does not simulate the significant changes in auditory nerve fiber (ANF) responses to sustained stimulation that are associated with neural adaptation. Given that the electric stimuli used by cochlear prostheses can result in adapted responses, a computational model incorporating an adaptation process is warranted if such models are to remain relevant and contribute to related research efforts. In this paper, we describe the development of a modified HH single-node model that includes potassium ion ( K(+)) concentration changes in response to each action potential. This activity-related change results in an altered resting potential, and hence, excitability. Our implementation of K(+)-related changes uses a phenomenological approach based upon K(+) accumulation and dissipation time constants. Modeled spike times were computed using repeated presentations of modeled pulse-train stimuli. Spike-rate adaptation was characterized by rate decrements and time constants and compared against ANF data from animal experiments. Responses to relatively low (250 pulse/s) and high rate (5000 pulse/s) trains were evaluated and the novel adaptation model results were compared against model results obtained without the adaptation mechanism. In addition to spike-rate changes, jitter and spike intervals were evaluated and found to change with the addition of modeled adaptation. These results provide one means of incorporating a heretofore neglected (although important) aspect of ANF responses to electric stimuli. Future studies could include evaluation of alternative versions of the adaptation model elements and broadening the model to simulate a complete axon, and eventually, a spatially realistic model of the electrically stimulated nerve within extracochlear tissues.

Short-pulse laser heating of aluminum and silicon thin films pair with presence of a minute vacuum gap in between them is considered and energy transfer across the thin films pair is predicted. The frequency dependent Boltzmann equation is used to predict the phonon intensity distribution along the films pair for three cycles of the repetitive short-pulse laser irradiation on the aluminum film surface. Since the gap size considered is within the Casimir limit, thermal radiation and ballistic phonon contributions to energy transfer across the vacuum gap is incorporated. The laser irradiated field is formulated in line with the Lambert's Beer law and it is considered as the volumetric source in the governing equations of energy transport. In order to assess the phonon intensity distribution in the films pair, equivalent equilibrium temperature is introduced. It is demonstrated that thermal separation of electron and lattice sub-systems in the aluminum film, due to the short-pulse laser irradiation, takes place and electron temperature remains high in the aluminum film while equivalent equilibrium temperature for phonons decays sharply in the close region of the aluminum film interface. This behavior is attributed to the phonon boundary scattering at the interface and the ballistic phonon transfer to the silicon film across the vacuum gap. Energy transfer due to the ballistic phonon contribution is significantly higher than that of the thermal radiation across the vacuum gap.

This letter addresses the problem of stimulated Raman excitation of a hydrogen atom submitted to an ultrashort and intense laser pulse in the keV regime. The pulse central frequency ω of 55 a.u. (about 1.5 keV) is in the weakly relativistic regime, ω ≤ c/a0 (c is the speed of light in vacuum and a 0 the Bohr radius) and the pulse duration is τ ≈ 18.85 a.u. (about 456 attoseconds). We solve the corresponding time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) using a spectral approach, retardation (or nondipole) effects are included up to O(1/c) , breaking the conservation of the magnetic quantum number m and forcing the resolution of the TDSE in a three-dimensional space. Due to the laser bandwidth, which is of the order of the ionization potential of hydrogen, stimulated Raman scattering populates nlm excited states (n and l are the principal and azimuthal quantum numbers, respectively). The populations of these excited states are calculated and analyzed in terms of l and m quantum numbers, this showing the contributions of the retardation effects and their relative importance.

Laser shock peening (LSP) was applied to Ti-6Al-4V (wt.%) simulated airfoil specimens using a Nd:Glass laser. Laser shock peening processing parameters examined in the present study included power density (5.5, 7, and 9 GW/cm{sup 2}) and number of laser pulses per spot (one and three pulses/spot). The LSP's Ti-6Al-4V samples were examined using x-ray diffraction techniques to determine the residual stress distribution and percent cold work as a function of depth. It was found that the residual stress state and percent of cold work were relatively independent of LSP power density. However, the number of laser pulses per spot had a significant effect on both residual stress and percent of cold work for a given power density level. In addition, there was a strong correlation between the magnitude of residual compressive stresses generated and the percent cold work measured.

Previous studies have shown that the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to excite corticospinal neurons depends on pulse waveform. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESES: In this study, we examined whether the effectiveness of polyphasic TMS can be increased by using a pulse profile that consists ...... of multiple sine cycles....

This paper presents the design and test of a dual-mode electric and magnetic biological stimulator (EM-Stim). The stimulator generates pulsing electric and magnetic fields at programmable rates and intensities. While electric and magnetic stimulators have been reported before, this is the first device that combines both modalities. The ability of the dual stimulation to target bone and muscle tissue simultaneously has the potential to improve the therapeutic treatment of osteoporosis and sarcopenia. The device is fully programmable, portable and easy to use, and can run from a battery or a power supply. The device can generate magnetic fields of up to 1.6 mT and output voltages of +/- 40 V. The EM-Stim accelerated myogenic differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes as evidenced by morphometric, gene expression, and protein content analyses. Currently, there are many patents concerned with the application of single electrical or magnetic stimulation, but none that combine both simultaneously. However, we applied for and obtained a provisional patent for new device to fully explore its therapeutic potential in pre-clinical models.

The auditory brain stem implant (ABI) is being used clinically to restore hearing to patients unable to benefit from a cochlear implant (CI). Speech perception outcomes for ABI users are typically poor compared with most CI users. The ABI is implanted either on the surface of or penetrating through the cochlear nucleus in the auditory brain stem and uses stimulation strategies developed for auditory nerve stimulation with a CI. Although the stimulus rate may affect speech perception outcomes with current stimulation strategies, no studies have systematically investigated the effect of stimulus rate electrophysiologically or clinically. We therefore investigated rate response properties and temporal response properties of single inferior colliculus (IC) neurons from penetrating ABI stimulation using stimulus rates ranging from 100 to 1,600 pulses/s in the rat. We found that the stimulus rate affected the proportion of response types, thresholds, and dynamic ranges of IC activation. The stimulus rate was also found to affect the temporal properties of IC responses, with higher rates providing more temporally similar responses to acoustic stimulation. Suppression of neural firing and inhibition in IC neurons was also found, with response properties varying with the stimulus rate. This study demonstrated that changes in the ABI stimulus rate results in significant differences in IC neuron response properties. Due to electrophysiological differences, the stimulus rate may also change perceptual properties. We suggest that clinical evaluation of the ABI stimulus rate should be performed.

Phase-matched high-order harmonic generation in Ar gas-filled cell was investigated experimentally. We obtained phase-matched 27th order harmonic driven by a commercially available solid-state femtosecond laser system at 0.55 m J/pulse energy level and 1 kHz repetition rate. To our knowledge, this is the lowest driving laser energy used to obtain phase-matched 27th order harmonic in a static gas cell. High-order harmonic generation at different gas density was studied systematically. Spectral blueshift and broadening of high harmonics under different pressure were analyzed. We found that the source size and spatial distribution of high-order harmonics are quite different under the phase-matching condition from those of the phase-mismatching case.

We describe details of the setup for time-resolved impulsive stimulated Raman spectroscopy (TR-ISRS). In this method, snapshot molecular vibrational spectra of the photoreaction transients are captured via time-domain Raman probing using ultrashort pulses. Our instrument features transform-limited sub-7-fs pulses to impulsively excite and probe coherent nuclear wavepacket motions, allowing us to observe vibrational fingerprints of transient species from the terahertz to 3000-cm-1 region with high sensitivity. Key optical components for the best spectroscopic performance are discussed. The TR-ISRS measurements for the excited states of diphenylacetylene in cyclohexane are demonstrated, highlighting the capability of our setup to track femtosecond dynamics of all the Raman-active fundamental molecular vibrations.

Introduction. Spasticity is a disabling symptom resulting from reorganization of spinal reflexes no longer inhibited by supraspinal control. Several studies have demonstrated interest in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in spastic patients. We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind crossover study on five spastic hemiparetic patients to determine whether this type of stimulation of the premotor cortex can provide a clinical benefit. Material and Methods. Two stimulation frequencies (1 Hz and 10 Hz) were tested versus placebo. Patients were assessed clinically, by quantitative analysis of walking and measurement of neuromechanical parameters (H and T reflexes, musculoarticular stiffness of the ankle). Results. No change was observed after placebo and 10 Hz protocols. Clinical parameters were not significantly modified after 1 Hz stimulation, apart from a tendency towards improved recruitment of antagonist muscles on the Fügl-Meyer scale. Only cadence and recurvatum were significantly modified on quantitative analysis of walking. Neuromechanical parameters were modified with significant decreases in Hmax⁡ /Mmax⁡ and T/Mmax⁡ ratios and stiffness indices 9 days or 31 days after initiation of TMS. Conclusion. This preliminary study supports the efficacy of low-frequency TMS to reduce reflex excitability and stiffness of ankle plantar flexors, while clinical signs of spasticity were not significantly modified. PMID:24883390

Neuropathic pain often follows spinal cord injury (SCI). To compare the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied over different motor cortex targets (hand vs leg area) versus sham stimulation on neuropathic pain and local neurophysiological changes in patients with SCI. A total of 16 patients with complete or incomplete motor SCI and chronic neuropathic pain participated in a double-blind, cross-over randomized study. Three single sessions of sham or active rTMS (10 Hz, total of 2000 stimuli) were applied in random order over the hand or leg area with a minimal 2-week interval. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: were the numeric rating scale for pain sensation and parameters derived from motor mapping of the first dorsal interosseous muscle, including maximal amplitude of evoked response as well as map area, volume, and location. rTMS applied to either the hand or the leg area, but not sham stimulation, induced a significant but equivalent reduction in pain for the first 48 hours postintervention (P stimulation of the hand area (P = .04) but not for the other conditions. rTMS applied over the hand or leg motor cortex decreased neuropathic pain regardless of any change in cortical excitability, suggesting that the analgesic effect is not associated with local changes at the motor cortex level itself.

Full Text Available Introduction. Spasticity is a disabling symptom resulting from reorganization of spinal reflexes no longer inhibited by supraspinal control. Several studies have demonstrated interest in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in spastic patients. We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind crossover study on five spastic hemiparetic patients to determine whether this type of stimulation of the premotor cortex can provide a clinical benefit. Material and Methods. Two stimulation frequencies (1 Hz and 10 Hz were tested versus placebo. Patients were assessed clinically, by quantitative analysis of walking and measurement of neuromechanical parameters (H and T reflexes, musculoarticular stiffness of the ankle. Results. No change was observed after placebo and 10 Hz protocols. Clinical parameters were not significantly modified after 1 Hz stimulation, apart from a tendency towards improved recruitment of antagonist muscles on the Fügl-Meyer scale. Only cadence and recurvatum were significantly modified on quantitative analysis of walking. Neuromechanical parameters were modified with significant decreases in Hmax⁡ /Mmax⁡ and T/Mmax⁡ ratios and stiffness indices 9 days or 31 days after initiation of TMS. Conclusion. This preliminary study supports the efficacy of low-frequency TMS to reduce reflex excitability and stiffness of ankle plantar flexors, while clinical signs of spasticity were not significantly modified.

Full Text Available Electrical stimulation (ES devices interact with excitable neural tissue toward eliciting action potentials (AP's by specific current patterns. Low-energy ES prevents tissue damage and loss of specificity. Hence to identify optimal stimulation-current waveforms is a relevant problem, whose solution may have significant impact on the related medical (e.g. minimized side-effects and engineering (e.g. maximized battery-life efficiency. This has typically been addressed by simulation (of a given excitable-tissue model and iterative numerical optimization with hard discontinuous constraints--e.g. AP's are all-or-none phenomena. Such approach is computationally expensive, while the solution is uncertain--e.g. may converge to local-only energy-minima and be model-specific. We exploit the Least-Action Principle (LAP. First, we derive in closed form the general template of the membrane-potential's temporal trajectory, which minimizes the ES energy integral over time and over any space-clamp ionic current model. From the given model we then obtain the specific energy-efficient current waveform, which is demonstrated to be globally optimal. The solution is model-independent by construction. We illustrate the approach by a broad set of example situations with some of the most popular ionic current models from the literature. The proposed approach may result in the significant improvement of solution efficiency: cumbersome and uncertain iteration is replaced by a single quadrature of a system of ordinary differential equations. The approach is further validated by enabling a general comparison to the conventional simulation and optimization results from the literature, including one of our own, based on finite-horizon optimal control. Applying the LAP also resulted in a number of general ES optimality principles. One such succinct observation is that ES with long pulse durations is much more sensitive to the pulse's shape whereas a rectangular pulse is most

Since several years, time-resolved pulsedstimulated infrared thermography (SIRT) has been developed at ONERA with the aim of combining fast screening and quantitative characterization. The analysis of pixel by pixel thermograms leads to depth-location and thermal resistance images of delaminations. In this paper we present recent enhancements of the portable SIRT system and refinement of the data reduction procedure which demonstrate the possibility of detecting and evaluating delaminations in C-epoxy at depths higher than 3 mm. A 2-D inversion procedure is proposed to better characterize defects of reduced lateral extend as compared to the former 1-D method.

In this paper, we demonstrate the periodic disruption formation on magnesium-oxide-doped lithium niobate surfaces by a femtosecond fiber laser system with wavelength and repetition rate of 1040 nm and 52 MHz, respectively. Three main experimental conditions, laser average power, scanning speed, and orientation of sample were systematically studied. In particular, the ablation morphologies of periodic disruptions under different crystal orientations were specifically researched. The result shows that such disruptions consisting of a bamboo-like inner structure appears periodically for focusing on the surface of X-, Y- and Z-cut wafers, which are formed by a rapid quenching of the material. Meanwhile, due to the anisotropic property, the bamboo-like inner structures consist of a cavity only arise from X- and Z-cut orientation.

In this paper we report on the design and operation of a novel piezovalve for the production of short pulsed atomic or molecular beams. The high speed valve operates on the principle of a cantilever piezo. The only moving part, besides the cantilever piezo itself, is a very small O-ring that forms t

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may release neuropathic pain (NeP) by changing the excitability of cor-tex, improving the cerebral blood flow, regulating the expression of neurotransmitter, fitting the plasticity, reducing the overexpression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and overaction of astrocyte, etc. It is used for management of post-herpetic neuralgia, thalamic pain after stroke, NeP after spinal cord injury, phantom limb pain, atypical facial pain post operation of trigeminal nerve, etc. The outcome is associat-ed with the location, frequency, pulses, intensity of stimulation, as well as the shape of the stimulator, etc.%重复经颅磁刺激通过改变大脑皮质的兴奋性，改善脑血流和代谢，调节神经递质表达，改变神经系统可塑性，降低背根神经节内过度表达的神经元型一氧化氮合酶、抑制星形胶质细胞活性等途径，发挥治疗神经病理性疼痛的作用，目前已用于带状疱疹后神经痛、脑卒中后丘脑痛、脊髓损伤后神经痛、幻肢痛、三叉神经术后非典型面痛等的治疗中，疗效与刺激部位、频率、脉冲数、刺激器形状、刺激强度等因素有关。

Third order nonlinearities of Mn(III)-Phthalocyanine chloride in dimethyl-sulphoxide under 50 fs pulses, operating at 94 MHz, by eliminating cumulative thermal effects have been investigated and reported by us. Modifications were done in data acquisition during Z-scan experiment, which included recording of time evolution waveform traces in an oscilloscope and not collection of Z versus transmission and utilization of a chopper of a suitable duty cycle. Time evolution traces were further processed analytically through MatLab® programming, which yielded Z-scan traces similar to what was obtained with single shot 50 fs pulse. We observed reverse saturable absorption at 800 nm owing to excited state absorption. We show that the nonlinear refractive index (γ) and nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) are over estimated almost 100 times, when MHz pulses are used compared to a situation, where thermo-optical nonlinearities are accounted. Illumination and dark periods are carefully set in a way, so that the sample is able to completely recover its initial temperature before arrival of the next pulse. Magnitudes of γ and β were found to be -(6.5-4.9) × 10-16 m2/W and (5.4-6.2) × 10-10 m/W under the MHz condition, whereas they were -(0.18-2.2) × 10-18 m2/W and (9.5-15) × 10-12 m/W under the thermally managed condition, respectively. To reveal the associated fast nonlinearity, femtosecond transient absorption experiment was performed, which inferred excited state absorption and ground state bleaching across the 450-780 nm region. Dynamics associated with these processes are reported along with fluorescence lifetime obtained through the TCSPC technique. Structure optimization using TDDFT calculations and HOMO-LUMO gaps with orbital pictures are also shown.

This study was designed to evaluate femoral perfusion after pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation in a steroid-induced osteonecrosis rabbit model by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). Steroid-induced osteonecrosis was produced by single intramuscular injection of methylprednisolone in 15 rabbits. Eight rabbits underwent PEMF stimulation (PEMF group) and seven did not (control group). DCE-MRI was performed before PEMF stimulation, immediately before steroid administration, and 1, 5, 10, and 14 days after steroid administration. Regions of interest were set in the bilateral proximal femora. Enhancement ratio (ER), initial slope (IS), and area under the curve (AUC) were analyzed. ER, IS, and AUC in the control group significantly decreased after steroid administration compared with before administration (P<0.05). In PEMF group, IS significantly decreased; however, ER and AUC showed no significant differences after steroid administration compared with before. ER and IS in PEMF group were higher than in control group until 10th day, and AUC was higher until 5th day after steroid administration (P<0.05). PEMF stimulation restrains the decrease in blood flow after steroid administration.

Single-session anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can improve the learning-memory function of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). After-effects of tDCS can be more significant if the stimulation is repeated regularly in a period. Here the behavioral and the histologic effects of the repetitive anodal tDCS on a rat model of AD were investigated. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups, the sham group, the β-amyloid (Aβ) group, the Aβ+20μA tDCS group, the Aβ+60μA tDCS group, the Aβ+100μA tDCS group and the Aβ+200μA tDCS group. Bilateral hippocampus of the rats in the Aβ group and the Aβ+tDCS groups were lesioned by Aβ1-40 to produce AD models. One day after drug injection, repetitive anodal tDCS (10 sessions in two weeks, 20min per session) was applied to the frontal cortex of the rats in the tDCS groups, while sham stimulation was applied to the Aβ group and the sham group. The spatial learning and memory capability of the rats were tested by Morris water maze. Bielschowsky's silver staining, Nissl's staining, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glial-fibrillary-acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry of the hippocampus were conducted for histologic analysis. Results show in the Morris water maze task, rats in the Aβ+100μA and the Aβ+200μA tDCS groups had shorter escape latency and larger number of crossings on the platform. Significant histologic differences were observed in the Aβ+100μA and the Aβ+200μA tDCS groups compared to the Aβ group. The behavioral and the histological experiments indicate that the proposed repetitive anodal tDCS treatment can protect spatial learning and memory dysfunction of Aβ1-40-lesioned AD rats.

Lately it has been indicated that the stimulation of both sides of the motor cortices with different frequencies of rTMS can improve the behaviour of a paretic arm. We studied the effect of rTMS in severe cases of post-stroke after nearly 10 years. They had wide hemispheric lesion and their paresis had not changed for more than 5 years. The majority of patients could not move their fingers on the affected side. In our study we examined whether the active movement could be induced by rTMS even several years after stroke and which hemisphere (affected or unaffected) stimulated by rTMS would be the best location for attenuating the spasticity and for developing movement in the paretic arm. Sixty-four patients (more than 5 years after stroke in a stable state) were followed for 3 months. They were treated with rTMS with 1 Hz at 30% of 2.3T 100 stimuli per session twice a day for a week. The area to be stimulated was chosen according to the evoked movement by TMS in the paretic arm. That way, four groups were created and compared. In group A, where both hemispheres were stimulated (because of the single stimulation of TMS could induce movement from both sides of hemispheres) the spasticity decreased but the movement could not be influenced. A highly significant improvement in spasticity, in movement induction and in the behaviour of paresis was observed in group B, where before treatment, there was no evoked movement in the paretic arm from stimulating either hemispheres of the brain. For treatment we stimulated the unaffected hemisphere from where the intact arm is moved (ipsilateral to the paretic side). In both groups C (contralateral hemisphere to the paretic arm) and D (ipsilaterally evoked movement in the paretic arm), the spasticity decreased during the first week, but the movement of the paretic arm improved only in group C. It seems that spasticity can be modified by the stimulation either the affected or the unaffected hemisphere, but the induction of movement

In recent years two-photon photopolymerization has emerged as a novel and extremely powerful technique of three-dimensional nanostructure formation. Complex-shaped structures can be generated using appropriate beam steering or nanopositioning systems. Here, we report on the fabrication of three-dimensional arrangements made of biocompatible polymer material, which can be used as templates for cell growth. Using three-dimensional cell cages as cell culture substrates is advantageous, as cells may develop in a more natural environment as compared to conventional planar growth methods. The two-photon fabrication experiments were carried out on a commercial microscope setup. Sub-15 fs pulsed Ti:Sapphire laser light (centre wavelength 800 nm, bandwidth 120 nm, repetition rate 85 MHz) was focused into the polymer material by a high-numerical aperture oil immersion objective. Due to the high peak intensities picojoule pulse energies in the focal spot are sufficient to polymerize the material at sub-100 nm structural element dimensions. Therefore, cell cages of sophisticated architecture can be constructed involving very fine features which take into account the specific needs of various types of cells. Ultimately, our research aims at three-dimensional assemblies of photopolymerized structural elements involving sub-100 nm features, which provide cell culture substrates far superior to those currently existing.

To make rat do active exercise to counteract bone loss in the rat tail-suspension model, a pulse electrical stimulator based on single-electrode with a low-current and a high-voltage was designed. The stimulator was controlled by SCM (single chip micyoco) that could accurately control the stimulation duration and the interval between stimulations, and cease the operation after the recorded number of stimulation had reached the value set by the program. With the help of posture estimation part, the device would operate intelligently by determining whether to stimulate or not, depending on the posture of rat’s limb. Software was developed to make operator control the stimulator using computer, save the experiment data and print the report. In practical experiment, the voltaic arc is generated by the stimulator, and impacted on the rat’s thenar. This induced pain to the rat and the rat would actively contract its hindlimb to evade the pain, so active exercise was carried out. The tail-suspension rats were trained twice every day for 14 d. At the 0 and 14th day, bone mineral density of rat femurs was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The results show that the active exercise stimulated by the pulse electrical arc stimulator can attenuate weightlessness-induced bone loss, and this device is a convenient steady performance electrical stimulator that can surely induce rat’s hindlimb to do active exercise.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF stimulation may be clinically beneficial during fracture healing and for a wide range of bone disorders, there is still debate on its working mechanism. Mesenchymal stem cells are likely mediators facilitating the observed clinical effects of PEMF. Here, we performed in vitro experiments to investigate the effect of PEMF stimulation on human bone marrow-derived stromal cell (BMSC metabolism and, specifically, whether PEMF can stimulate their osteogenic differentiation. Methods BMSCs derived from four different donors were cultured in osteogenic medium, with the PEMF treated group being continuously exposed to a 15 Hz, 1 Gauss EM field, consisting of 5-millisecond bursts with 5-microsecond pulses. On culture day 1, 5, 9, and 14, cells were collected for biochemical analysis (DNA amount, alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposition, expression of various osteoblast-relevant genes and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK signaling. Differences between treated and control groups were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and considered significant when p Results Biochemical analysis revealed significant, differentiation stage-dependent, PEMF-induced differences: PEMF increased mineralization at day 9 and 14, without altering alkaline phosphatase activity. Cell proliferation, as measured by DNA amounts, was not affected by PEMF until day 14. Here, DNA content stagnated in PEMF treated group, resulting in less DNA compared to control. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that during early culture, up to day 9, PEMF treatment increased mRNA levels of bone morphogenetic protein 2, transforming growth factor-beta 1, osteoprotegerin, matrix metalloproteinase-1 and -3, osteocalcin, and bone sialoprotein. In contrast, receptor activator of NF-κB ligand expression was primarily stimulated on day 14. ERK1/2 phosphorylation was not affected by PEMF stimulation

We examined the stimulus-response profile during single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) by measuring motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) with electromyographic monitoring and hemodynamic responses with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3 Tesla. In 16 healthy subjects, single TMS pulses were irregularly delivered to the left primary motor cortex at a mean frequency of 0.15 Hz with a wide range of stimulus intensities. The measurement of MEP proved a typical relationship between stimulus intensity and MEP amplitude in the concurrent TMS-fMRI environment. In the population-level analysis of the suprathreshold stimulation conditions, significant increases in hemodynamic responses were detected in the motor/somatosensory network, reflecting both direct and remote effects of TMS, and also the auditory/cognitive areas, perhaps related to detection of clicks. The stimulus-response profile showed both linear and nonlinear components in the direct and remote motor/somatosensory network. A detailed analysis suggested that the nonlinear components of the motor/somatosensory network activity might be induced by nonlinear recruitment of neurons in addition to sensory afferents resulting from movement. These findings expand our basic knowledge of the quantitative relationship between TMS-induced neural activations and hemodynamic signals measured by neuroimaging techniques.

Our previous in vivo experimental results have shown RPES can enhance skin wound healing by using conforming electrodes. Based on an equation of polarization transmembrane voltage [Cole, K. S. 1972], two equations were derived to describe the peak RPES intensity on skin cells in vivo: (1) U = 1.5 a J/sigma, (2) Jm = 1.5 a (J/sigma) (Cm/tau). Where U: polarization transmembrane voltage. a: radius (R) for spherical cells or semi-length (L) for long fibers parallel to the electrical field. J: external imposed pulse current density under the electrode. sigma: average conductivity of skin tissue. Jm: transmembrane displacement current density. Cm: membrane capacitance per unit area and tau: time constant. Calculations indicated that the sensory fibers (SF) would receive the strongest stimulation compared to other cells in skin since generally LSF > or = 100 R. The sensitivity of SF to the stimulation could enhance skin wound healing as well as protect normal skin cells from harmful electroporation. From these theoretical calculations. We proposed a theoretical range of the pulse current density as: U1 sigma/(1.5 L) < or = J < or = U2 sigma/(1.5 L), where U1 and U2 are the excitation threshold voltage (about 0.01 V) and polarization electroporation voltage (about 0.1 V) for a SF respectively, for RPES to enhance skin wound healing.

The need for convection compensating methods in NMR has been manifested through an increasing number of publications related to the subject over the past few years (J. Magn. Reson. 125, 372 (1997); 132, 13 (1998); 131, 126 (1998); 118, 50 (1996); 133, 379 (1998)). When performing measurements at elevated temperature, small convection currents may give rise to erroneous values of the diffusion coefficient. In work with high resolution NMR spectroscopy, the application of magnetic field gradients also introduces an eddy-current magnetic field which may result in errors in phase and baseline in the FFT-spectra. The eddy current field has been greatly suppressed by the application of bipolar magnetic field gradients. However, when introducing bipolar magnetic field gradients, the pulse sequence is lengthened significantly. This has recently been pointed out as a major drawback because of the loss of coherence and of NMR-signal due to transverse relaxation processes. Here we present modified convection compensating pulsed field gradient double spin echo and double stimulated echo sequences which suppress the eddy-current magnetic field without increasing the duration of the pulse sequences.

A modified polarized beam combination technique is proposed for preserving the temporal waveforms of stimulated Raman scattering. 1064 nm pre-pulse pumping lasers prior to the main pumping laser with a delay time are generated and injected into a Ba(NO3)2 Raman medium to excite the crystal firstly. The influences of pre-pulse lasers with various energy levels on the temporal shapes of Raman lasers are investigated, and it is demonstrated that the temporal waveforms of the Raman laser are distorted once the energies of the pre-pulse are below and above the required energy for preserving the temporal shapes of Stokes radiation. It is also discovered that the temporal shape of the 1197 nm Raman laser cannot be perfectly preserved if the energy of the 1064 nm main laser is too low or the relative delay time is too large. Moreover, the optical conversion efficiency and Stokes laser energy obtained under pumping lasers with single and double intensity peaks are compared.

High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the motor cortex has analgesic effect; however, the efficacy of other cortical targets and the mode of action remain unclear. We examined the effects of rTMS in neuropathic orofacial pain, and compared 2 cortical targets against placebo. Furthermore, as dopaminergic mechanisms modulate pain responses, we assessed the influence of the functional DRD2 gene polymorphism (957C>T) and the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism on the analgesic effect of rTMS. Sixteen patients with chronic drug-resistant neuropathic orofacial pain participated in this randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Navigated high-frequency rTMS was given to the sensorimotor (S1/M1) and the right secondary somatosensory (S2) cortices. All subjects were genotyped for the DRD2 957C>T and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms. Pain, mood, and quality of life were monitored throughout the study. The numerical rating scale pain scores were significantly lower after the S2 stimulation than after the S1/M1 (P = 0.0071) or the sham (P = 0.0187) stimulations. The Brief Pain Inventory scores were also lower 3 to 5 days after the S2 stimulation than those at pretreatment baseline (P = 0.0127 for the intensity of pain and P = 0.0074 for the interference of pain) or after the S1/M1 (P = 0.001 and P = 0.0001) and sham (P = 0.0491 and P = 0.0359) stimulations. No correlations were found between the genetic polymorphisms and the analgesic effect in the present small clinical sample. The right S2 cortex is a promising new target for the treatment of neuropathic orofacial pain with high-frequency rTMS.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a promising therapeutic for schizophrenia. Treatment effects of rTMS have been variable across different symptom clusters, with negative symptoms showing better response, followed by auditory hallucinations. Cerebellum, especially vermis and its abnormalities (both structural and functional) have been implicated in cognitive, affective and positive symptoms of schizophrenia. rTMS to this alternate site has been suggested as a novel target for treating patients with this disorder. Hypothesizing cerebellar vermal magnetic stimulation as an adjunct to treat schizophrenia psychopathology, we conducted a double blind randomized sham controlled rTMS study. In this study, forty patients were randomly allocated (using block randomization method) to active high frequency (theta patterned) rTMS (n=20) and sham (n=20) groups. They received 10 sessions over 2 weeks. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) scores were assessed at baseline, after last session and at 4 weeks (2 weeks post-rTMS). We found a significantly greater improvement in the group receiving active rTMS sessions, compared to the sham group on negative symptoms, and depressive symptoms. We conclude that cerebellar stimulation can be used as an effective adjunct to treat negative and affective symptoms.

Full Text Available Phasic alertness represents the ability to increase response readiness to a target following an external warning stimulus. Specific networks in the frontal and parietal regions appear to be involved in the alert state. In this study, we examined the role of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC during the attentional processing of a stimulus using a cued double-choice reaction time task. The evaluation of these processes was conducted by means of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs, in particular by using the Contingent Negative Variation (CNV, and repetitive 1-Hz Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS. Transient virtual inhibition of the right DLPFC induced by real 1-Hz rTMS stimulation led to a significant decrease in total CNV and W1-CNV areas if compared with the basal and post-sham rTMS conditions. Reaction times (RTs did not decrease after inhibitory rTMS, but they did improve after sham stimulation. These results suggest that the right DLPFC plays a crucial role in the genesis and maintenance of the alerting state and learning processes.

Electrospun scaffolds derived from poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL), a well known biodegradable material, have an architecture that is suitable for hosting cells. However, their biomedical applications are restricted because these scaffolds lack the bioactivity necessary to stimulate cell responses. In this work, a repetitive Arg-Gly-Asp (rRGD) peptide was produced as a cell-stimulating agent to provide the PCL scaffold with bioactivity. DNA encoding rRGD was amplified by polymerase chain reaction using overlap primers without a DNA template, and cloned into a protein expression vector to produce a His-tag fusion peptide. In an in vitro cell adhesion assay, the purified rRGD peptide, comprising 30 RGD repeats, promoted a 1.5-fold greater cell adhesion than the commercial tripeptide RGD. The rRGD peptide was immobilized onto an electrospun PCL scaffold that had been pretreated with argon plasma and graft-polymerized with acrylic acid. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicated that covalently linked rRGD peptide was present on the scaffold. The PCL scaffold with immobilized rRGD showed significantly changed hydrophilic properties and an enhanced adhesion and proliferation of mouse fibroblast cells by 2.3- and 2.9-fold, respectively, compared to the PCL scaffold alone. Through its ability to promote cell adhesion and proliferation, the rRGD peptide has great potential as a stimulant for improving the suboptimal cell-matrix interaction of polymeric scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.

Studies on noninvasive motor cortex stimulation and motor learning demonstrated cortical excitability as a marker for a learning effect. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive tool to modulate cortical excitability. It is as yet unknown how tDCS-induced excitability changes and perceptual learning in visual cortex correlate. Our study aimed to examine the influence of tDCS on visual perceptual learning in healthy humans. Additionally, we measured excitability in primary visual cortex (V1). We hypothesized that anodal tDCS would improve and cathodal tDCS would have minor or no effects on visual learning. Anodal, cathodal or sham tDCS were applied over V1 in a randomized, double-blinded design over four consecutive days (n = 30). During 20 min of tDCS, subjects had to learn a visual orientation-discrimination task (ODT). Excitability parameters were measured by analyzing paired-stimulation behavior of visual-evoked potentials (ps-VEP) and by measuring phosphene thresholds (PTs) before and after the stimulation period of 4 days. Compared with sham-tDCS, anodal tDCS led to an improvement of visual discrimination learning (p visual perceptual learning and increased cortical excitability. tDCS is a promising tool to alter V1 excitability and, hence, perceptual visual learning.

A 37-year-old man with a right transfemoral amputation suffered from severe phantom limb pain (PLP). After targeting the affected supplementary motor complex (SMC) or primary motor cortex (PMC) using a neuro-navigation system with 800 stimuli of 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at 85% of resting motor threshold, the 1 Hz rTMS over SMC dramatically reduced his visual analog scale (VAS) of PLP from 7 to 0. However, the 1 Hz rTMS over PMC failed to reduce pain. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a successfully treated severe PLP with a low frequency rTMS over SMC in affected hemisphere. PMID:26361601

In postischemic myocardium, fatty acid oxidation may be deficient owing to depletion of carnitine and citric acid cycle intermediates and fatty acylCoA-induced inhibition of adenine nucleotide translocase. During postischemic stress, the impairment of the fatty acid oxidation may become more apparent. We therefore investigated in open-chest anesthetized pigs the effect of L-propionylcarnitine [100 mg/kg per day orally (p.o.) for 3 days and 50 mg/kg intravenously (i.v.) 2 h before the first occlusion; n = 13] on myocardial function and metabolism of postischemic (two cycles of 10-min occlusion each followed by 30-min reperfusion) myocardium under resting conditions and during chronotropic and inotropic stimulation with dobutamine. Myocardial levels of free carnitine were higher after pretreatment (5.7 +/- 1.4 vs. 4.0 +/- 1.3 mumol/g protein, p Propionylcarnitine-treated animals displayed slightly better postischemic recovery of systolic SS than did control animals; to 39 and 28% (p = 0.056) of baseline, respectively, probably owing to a reduction in arterial blood pressure (BP), because L-propionylcarnitine prevented the increase in systemic vascular resistance produced by ischemia-reperfusion. L-Propionylcarnitine did not affect myocardial metabolic and contractile functional responses to chronotropic and inotropic stimulation. In a model of repetitive myocardial ischemia, L-propionylcarnitine prevents systemic vasoconstriction in response to ischemia and reperfusion and, probably as a result of the lower afterload, slightly ameliorates postischemic hypofunction, but loss of carnitine apparently does not play a role in myocardial hypofunction after brief repetitive ischemia and reperfusion in pigs.

Incorporation of a tendon graft within the bone tunnel represents a challenging clinical problem.Successful anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction requires solid healing of the tendon graft in the bone tunnel.Enhancement of graft healing to bone is important to facilitate early aggressive rehabilitation and a rapid return to pre-injury activity levels.No convenient,effective or inexpensive procedures exist to enhance tendon-bone (T-B) healing after surgery.Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) improves local blood perfusion and angiogenesis,stimulates cartilage maturation,enhances differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts,and motivates osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs),and therefore,appears to be a potential non-invasive tool for T-B healing in early stage of rehabilitation of ACL reconstruction.It is conceivable that LIPUS could be used to stimulate T-B tunnel healing in the home,with the aim of accelerating rehabilitation and an earlier return to normal activities in the near future.The purpose of this review is to demonstrate how LIPUS stimulates T-B healing at the cellular and molecular levels,describe studies in animal models,and provide a future direction for research.

Full Text Available Adequate levels of physical activity are at the center of a healthy lifestyle. However, the molecular mechanisms that mediate the beneficial effects of exercise remain enigmatic. This gap in knowledge is caused by the lack of an amenable experimental model system. Therefore, we optimized electric pulsestimulation of muscle cells to closely recapitulate the plastic changes in gene expression observed in a trained skeletal muscle. The exact experimental conditions were established using the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha as a marker for an endurance-trained muscle fiber. We subsequently compared the changes in the relative expression of metabolic and myofibrillar genes in the muscle cell system with those observed in mouse muscle in vivo following either an acute or repeated bouts of treadmill exercise. Importantly, in electrically stimulated C2C12 mouse muscle cells, the qualitative transcriptional adaptations were almost identical to those in trained muscle, but differ from the acute effects of exercise on muscle gene expression. In addition, significant alterations in the expression of myofibrillar proteins indicate that this stimulation could be used to modulate the fiber-type of muscle cells in culture. Our data thus describe an experimental cell culture model for the study of at least some of the transcriptional aspects of skeletal muscle adaptation to physical activity. This system will be useful for the study of the molecular mechanisms that regulate exercise adaptation in muscle.

AIM: To investigate the effect of two-channel gastric electrical stimulation (GES) with trains of pulses on gastric emptying and slow waves. METHODS: Seven dogs implanted with four pairs of electrodes and equipped with a duodenal cannula were involved in this study. Two experiments were performed. The first experiment included a series of sessions in the fasting state with trains of short or long pulses, each lasted 10 min. A 5-min recording without pacing was made between two sessions. The second experiment was performed in three sessions (control, single-channel GES, and two-channel GES). The stimulus was applied via the 1st pair of electrodes for single-channel GES (GES via one pair of electrodes located at 14 cm above the pylorus), and simultaneously via the 1st and 3rd channels for two-channel GES (GES via two pairs of electrodes located at 6 and 14 cm above the pylorus). Gastric liquid emptying was collected every 15 min via the cannula for 90 min. RESULTS: GES with trains of pulses at a pulse width of 4 ms or higher was able to entrain gastric slow waves. Two-channel GES was about 50% more efficient than single-channel GES in entraining gastric slow waves. Two channel but not single-channel GES with trains of pulses was capable of accelerating gastric emptying in healthy dogs. Compared with the control session, two-channel GES significantly increased gastric emptying of liquids at 15 min (79.0% ± 6.4% vs 61.3% ± 6.1%, P < 0.01), 30 min (83.2% ± 6.3 % vs 68.2% ± 6.9%, P < 0.01),60 min (86.9% ± 5.5 % vs 74.1% ± 5.9%, P < 0.01),and 90 min (91.0% ± 3.4% vs 76.5% ± 5.9%, P < 0.01).CONCLUSION: Two-channel GES with trains of pulses accelerates gastric emptying in healthy dogs and may have a therapeutic potential for the treatment of gastric motility disorders.

采用电子束和气体放电两种激励方式开展重复频率非链式HF激光研究.基于全固态脉冲功率源SPG200建立了重复频率HF实验装置,探索了产生重频大面积均匀电子束的技术途径,利用法拉第筒对进入激光气室的电子束的轴向均匀性进行了诊断,开展了激光器输出特性研究和重频实验调试,在C2 H6:SF6=0.035,总气压为35 kPa时,激光器输出能量最大约为4.8 mJ,并实现了最高30 Hz的HF激光稳定输出.采用峰化电容及紫外自动预电离技术设计研制了放电激励重频HF激光器,研究了SF6气体放电特性和重频运行稳定性.研究发现SF6气体放电具有典型的辉光放电、电压维持和电弧放电三阶段特征.在充电电压为28 kV,总气压为12 kPa,C2H6含量为8%时,放电激励HF激光器最大脉冲能量约 600 mJ,比能量输出达到8.5J/1,激光器的电光转换效率约为2.5%.该激光器在1-50 Hz实现了重频输出,首脉冲能量>500 mJ,在10 Hz时稳定输出能量约为200 mJ,%The repetitive-pulsed non-chain HF lasers initiated by e-beams and fast discharges were studied respectively. The e-beam initiated HF laser characterized by an all-solid-state generator was developed. A large area repetitive uniform e-beam was obtained and the Faraday cup was used to diagnose the uniformity of e-beam into the laser gas cell. The output characteristics of the laser were studied and the maximal energy of 4.8 mJ was obtained with gas mixture C２ H6: SF6 =0.035. The e-beam initiated HF laser could operate at the repetition rate of 30 Hz. The discharge initiated non-chain HF laser was designed by using the technologies of peaking capacitor and UV pre-ionizing. The discharge characteristics and stability of SF6 gas in repetition mode were studied. The results show that the discharge includes main discharge (volume discharge) and arc discharge, between which the voltage maintains and no evident discharge is visible. The maximal output

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left temporo-parietal junction area has been studied as a treatment option for auditory verbal hallucinations. Although the right temporo-parietal junction area has also shown involvement in the genesis of auditory verbal hallucinations, no studies have used bilateral stimulation. Moreover, little is known about durability effects. We studied the short and long term effects of 1 Hz treatment of the left temporo-parietal junction area in schizophrenia patients with persistent auditory verbal hallucinations, compared to sham stimulation, and added an extra treatment arm of bilateral TPJ area stimulation. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 51 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and persistent auditory verbal hallucinations were randomly allocated to treatment of the left or bilateral temporo-parietal junction area or sham treatment. Patients were treated for six days, twice daily for 20 minutes. Short term efficacy was measured with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS, the Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale (AHRS, and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS. We included follow-up measures with the AHRS and PANAS at four weeks and three months. RESULTS: The interaction between time and treatment for Hallucination item P3 of the PANSS showed a trend for significance, caused by a small reduction of scores in the left group. Although self-reported hallucination scores, as measured with the AHRS and PANAS, decreased significantly during the trial period, there were no differences between the three treatment groups. CONCLUSION: We did not find convincing evidence for the efficacy of left-sided rTMS, compared to sham rTMS. Moreover, bilateral rTMS was not superior over left rTMS or sham in improving AVH. Optimizing treatment parameters may result in stronger evidence for the efficacy of rTMS treatment of AVH. Moreover, future research should consider

Full Text Available Objective To assess the inhibitory effects of pulsed electrical stimulation at different low frequencies on B16-F10 melanoma, and evaluate its influence on the structure and function of heart in mice. Methods BALB/C mice were inoculation with melanoma cell B16F10 to reproduce melanoma. These mice were randomly divided into four groups: rats in three treatment groups received of pulsed electrical stimulation of 10, 20Hz and 25Hz respectively, with a 1-ms pulse width, field strength of 20 V/cm, and duration of 30 min/d, and no electrical stimulation was given to the control group (10 each. ECG change in each group was recorded. Seven days later, tumor volume and survival rate were recorded. The changes in tumor and myocardial morphology were examined using HE staining. The expression of S-100B protein in tumor was assessed by immunohistochemical method. The serum levels of troponin T (cTnT and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB were determined by ELISA. Results After being treated with pulsed electrical stimulation for 15 days, tumor volume in 10, 20Hz and 25Hz group (463.0±33.0, 248.6±34.6, 29.9±15.9mm3, respectively, was significantly smaller than that in control group (2027.0±133.4mm3, P0.05. Conclusions Low-frequency pulsed electrical stimulation has a suppressive effect on the growth of B16F10 melanoma in mice, and the pulsed electric stimulation at 20 V/cm, 20 Hz and 1 ms are proved to be the most effective in suppressing the growth of tumor without affecting the normal electrical activity in mice or causing myocardial damage. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2014.12.05

We consider the hydrogen atom H (1 s ) exposed to an ultrashort laser pulse with a central frequency ω0 ranging from several hundreds of eV to 1.5 keV (≈55 a.u.) and a peak intensity of 3.51 ×1016W /cm2 . We study the excitation of the atom by stimulated Raman scattering, a process involving pairs of frequencies (ω1,ω2 ). These frequencies are non-negligible components of the pulse Fourier transform and they satisfy the condition Eg+ℏ ω1=Eb+ℏ ω2,Eg and Eb≡En being the ground-state and the excited-state energy, respectively. The numerical results obtained by integrating the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) are compared with calculations in lowest order perturbation theory (LOPT). In LOPT we consider, in the second order of PT, the contribution of the term A .P in the dipole approximation and, in first order of PT, the expression of A2 taken for first-order retardation effects. (A denotes the vector potential of the field and P is the momentum operator.) We focus on the Raman excitation of bound states with principal quantum numbers n up to n =13 . The evaluation in perturbation theory of the A .P contribution to 1 s -n s and 1 s -n d transition probabilities uses analytic expressions of the corresponding Kramers-Heisenberg matrix elements. At fixed pulse duration τ =6 π a.u. (≈0.48 fs), we find that the retardation effects play an important role at high frequencies: they progressively diminish as the frequency decreases until the contribution of A .P dominates over the A2 contribution for ω0 values of a few a.u. We also study the dependence of the Raman process on the pulse duration for several values of ω0. In the case ω0=13 a .u .(≈354 eV ) where dipole and nondipole contributions are of the same order of magnitude, we present the Raman excitation probability as a function of the pulse duration for excited n s ,n p , and n d states.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) have been used for several years to supplement bone healing. However, the mode of action of this non-invasive method is still debated and quantification of its effect on fracture healing is widely varied. At cellular and molecular level, PEMF has been advocated to promote the synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins and exert a direct effect on the production of proteins that regulate gene transcription. Electromagnetic fields may also affect several membrane receptors and stimulate osteoblasts to secrete several growth factors such as bone morphogenic proteins 2 and 4 and TGF-beta. They could also accelerate intramedullary angiogenesis and improve the load to failure and stiffness of the bone. Although healing rates have been reported in up to 87 % of delayed unions and non-unions, the efficacy of the method is significantly varied while patient or fracture related variables could not be clearly associated with a successful outcome.

A laser system, such as a master oscillator/power amplifier system, comprises a gain medium and a stimulated Brillouin scattering SBS mirror system. The SBS mirror system includes an in situ filtered SBS medium that comprises a compound having a small negative non-linear index of refraction, such as a perfluoro compound. An SBS relay telescope having a telescope focal point includes a baffle at the telescope focal point which blocks off angle beams. A beam splitter is placed between the SBS mirror system and the SBS relay telescope, directing a fraction of the beam to an alternate beam path for an alignment fiducial. The SBS mirror system has a collimated SBS cell and a focused SBS cell. An adjustable attenuator is placed between the collimated SBS cell and the focused SBS cell, by which pulse width of the reflected beam can be adjusted.

Twisted Laguerre-Gaussian lasers, with orbital angular momentum and characterised by doughnut shaped intensity profiles, provide a transformative set of tools and research directions in a growing range of fields and applications, from super-resolution microcopy and ultra-fast optical communications to quantum computing and astrophysics. The impact of twisted light is widening as recent numerical calculations provided solutions to long-standing challenges in plasma-based acceleration by allowing for high gradient positron acceleration. The production of ultrahigh intensity twisted laser pulses could then also have a broad influence on relativistic laser-matter interactions. Here we show theoretically and with ab-initio three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, that stimulated Raman backscattering can generate and amplify twisted lasers to Petawatt intensities in plasmas. This work may open new research directions in non-linear optics and high energy density science, compact plasma based accelerators and ...